Gravity Falls:Written in the Stars
by FullMetalKhaos
Summary: Dipper Pines is one of the Destined-a Star Child, who is sworn to protect Gravity Falls. The problem with being a Chosen One is that even if you don't go looking for trouble, trouble finds you. Vampires! Shapeshifters! Dragons! Demons! (Yes, plural). Time travel! Werewolves? Love triangle! What's a Dipper to do? First chapter has been rewritten 3/29/18.
1. Strange Behavior

The year following Weirdmageddon passed slowly in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The near-apocalypse had apparently infused enough weirdness into the town and surrounding forest that the universe decided to give the town-folk a breather, of sorts. However, even in times of peace, the magical and mysterious often lurks just beneath the surface, biding its time. This is Gravity Falls, after all.

/

A bus wound its way along a twisting, mountain highway, the tall pine trees edging the road blocking out the sunlight. On board the bus were Dipper and Mabel Pines, finally returning to Gravity Falls for their second summer. The year had brought about changes: both the twins had had growth spurts, and were finally starting to look like the teenagers they were, rather than the cherub-faced twelve-year-olds they had been at the beginning of last summer.

Mentally, the year had been a difficult one for Dipper. The events of Weirdmageddon still weighed heavily on his mind, and his nightmares of the event were frequent and haunting. He'd talked about it with Great Uncle Ford when he and Stanley had called the twins to check in, after they'd been at sea on the Stan O' War for a few months. Ford assured Dipper that the nightmares were dreams, and nothing more. He'd said there was nothing to worry about. Dipper was trying his hardest to believe his Grunkle.

Mabel was surprisingly (mostly) unaffected by Weirdmageddon. She was still her over-enthusiastic, hyperactive self. If anything, the world nearly being destroyed had renewed her personal mission to live every day to the fullest, and to always try to have fun.

Dipper turned from the window, tired of watching what looked like the same pine tree pass the bus over and over. He grinned at Mabel, who was humming tunelessly to herself, flipping through the pages of her scrapbook from last summer, and petting her pig Waddles, who was entirely to big to be laying on her lap, but who was sprawled out on her lap nonetheless.

"So, Mabel, what's the first thing you want to do after we get settled in at the Mystery Shack?" he asked his sister.

Mabel jumped, eliciting a soft, sleepy snort of protest from Waddles. She turned to Dipper and laughed. "Gosh, you scared me bro-bro! I thought you were asleep. Um…" Mabel giggled and twirled a strand of her long brown hair around a finger. "I think I'll go see Candy and Grenda—no, wait, Soos! I want to hang with Soos—oh, but I also want to chill with Wendy's crew…"

At the mention of the ginger lumberjane's name, Dipper's cheeks grew warm. Wendy was the coolest person he knew, and he had a not-so-secret crush on her.

"I, uh, I vote for seeing what Wendy and the gang are up to," he said, attempting to sound casual.

Mabel snorted and rolled her eyes. "I should have known that's who you'd want to see first," she said, making kissy noises, and punching Dipper lightly on the shoulder.

Dipper opened his mouth to reply to her, but snapped it closed, as the bus slowed with a hiss of brakes.

"Now arriving in Gravity Falls!" called out the elderly bus driver.

"YAS!" cried Mabel. Forgetting about Waddles on her lap, she jumped to her feet. The pig let out an offended squeal as he tumbled to the floor. "Oops, sorry Waddles!"

The twins grabbed their backpacks and disembarked the bus, Waddles following at their heels. Grunkle Stan was waiting for them in the parking lot, leaning against the Stanmobile, arms crossed, a rakish grin spread across his face.

Mabel instantly became a human missile, and launched herself at her Great Uncle, screeching unintelligibly as she threw her arms around him, nearly plowing him over in the process.

"Hey kiddo, I've missed you too," said Stan, hugging Mabel back, and then patting her on the head before disengaging.

"Hey Grunkle Stan," Dipper said, nodding and smiling at the older man. His salutation to his Great Uncle was as reserved as Mabel's was over-the-top. "How was your year at sea?"

Stan clapped Dipper on the shoulder. "Eh, good, I guess? Exhausting, though. Poindexter kept dragging me hither and yon, looking for all sorts of weird crap. I'm just happy to be home. I only arrived back in town about a half hour before I had to meet your bus."

"Where is Grunkle Ford, anyway?" asked Dipper.

"He said he'd try to be home in a week or two," answered Stan, shrugging. "He had a few more weird nerd things to look into before heading home for the summer. Now come on, let's get your trunks out of the bus, and get back the Shack. I've missed that dilapidated tourist trap."

/

The bus station was on the opposite side of town from the Mystery Shack, so their route home took them through the center of Gravity Falls. The three had been chatting excitedly, but their voices faded into silence as they drove down Main Street.

"Something's…different," muttered Stan, narrowing his eyes as slowly drove down the quiet street.

Gravity Falls looked like a quaint little town right out of the 1950's. Everything was too neat and perfect.

"Uh, I know it's more Ford's thing, but do you think maybe we just drove through a wormhole or something?" asked Dipper, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "The town is…entirely too wholesome."

Mabel had her face and hands pressed up against her window. When she spoke her breath fogged the glass. "It looks like we're in 'Back to the Future,' only we're in the 'back' part, not the 'future' part."

"I don't think so?" Stan said uncertainly. "I mean, look, there's Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland."

"Huh," said Dipper, settling back against his seat. "Weird."

No one spoke again until they reached the Mystery Shack.

"What the—" said Stan loudly, as he threw the car into park. The three got out of the Stanmobile and stared open-mouthed at the Mystery Shack. It was normally in a slight state of disrepair. The letters spelling out Mystery Shack took turns falling. Cedar shingles sat crookedly, needing to be replaced. The front porch sagged in the middle. But it wasn't just in a state of disrepair now. It was in a state of complete ruin.

"What happened?" asked Mabel quietly. She sounded near tears. Waddles grunted softly as he rooted in the dirt next to her feet.

Dipper shook his head, unable to speak.

"I don't know," Stanley growled. "But you can bet your butt I'm gonna find out."

"Stanley, Mabel, Dipper, and… pig!" said a familiar voice cheerfully from the edge of the woods. "How wonderful it is to see all you fellows."

The three turned to see Soos Ramirez, the Shack's former handyman, and supposed current Mr. Mystery, striding toward them from the trees. Instead of the Mr. Mystery get-up, however, he was wearing a pair of plain black slacks, and a bright yellow button-down dress shirt.

"Soos!" Mabel exclaimed, rushing to her large friend, and wrapping him in a giant hug.

"Ah, Mabel Pines," said Soos, smiling vacantly, and patting the top of Mabel's head. "I am so happy to see you looking so well after such a long time apart. Will you be staying with us again this summer?"

Alarm bells were blaring in Dipper's head. Not only was Soos dressed like he'd just come from Bible study—but he didn't sound at all like himself. For a moment Dipper thought he might just be being paranoid, because it had been almost a year since he'd seen Soos or heard him talk. However, that didn't explain the church clothes, or the weird 1950s vibe going on in the rest of Gravity Falls. And the Soos Dipper remembered would certainly not have forgotten to call and mention that the Mystery Shack was literally falling apart.

Before Dipper could think on it any further, he heard the rumblings of a vehicle coming up the old dirt road toward the Shack. It was Thompson's van. It pulled to a stop accompanied by the groan of brakes in need of replacement, and a group of teens unloaded: Thompson, Nate, Lee, Tambry, and Robbie. Dipper was excited to see them, until he noticed their outfits.

The boys wore Gravity Falls High School varsity jackets, neatly pressed slacks, and shiny black loafers, while Tambry sported a yellow poodle skirt and cardigan combo, with a black blouse underneath, and black and white saddle shoes on her feet. Something was terribly wrong with this picture. The only thought that crossed Dipper's mind was: _Run. Run like hell._

"Stan, Mabel, you need to run, now!" he shouted, not stopping to look behind him as he darted for the woods. He didn't hear Mabel yell after him.

"Dipper, what the heck? Why are you running from our friends?" she called. Mabel turned toward Stan, and he shrugged at her.

"I mean, I know their fashion choices are strange now, but they're not _scary_ ," she said to her Grunkle. Then she turned back to give hugs to all her old friends.

/

Dipper ran until he couldn't breathe, reaching a place deep in the forest he'd never seen before. He had no idea what had happened to all his friends, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. Robbie would _never_ willingly dress like a jock and Tambry— Dipper gasped. He just realized that Tambry's ever-present cell phone had not been clutched in her hands. And before he took off running, she had actually made _eye contact_ with him. Yeah, something was seriously wrong.

Dipper slowed, clutching a stitch in his side. He collapsed at the edge of a clearing, under an old oak tree. At the center of the clearing stood an oddly shaped stone, but Dipper was too exhausted and winded to investigate it right now. He closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, Piiiine Tree!"

Dipper's eyes flew open. That voice. It haunted his nightmares. But he wasn't asleep. His heartbeat began to thunder in his ears as his eyes darted around the clearing. The oddly shaped stone. It was triangular, with a skinny hat shape perched on top of it.

"No," whispered Dipper. He crawled toward the stone, and his fears were confirmed. It was shaped exactly like Bill Cipher.

"Hiya, Pine Tree! Long time, no see!" the maniacal, high-pitched voice echoed in Dipper's head. "I was wondering when you'd come visit. It's lonely out here, with no one to torment. Ha! Just kidding. You should see your face, though. Don't worry, I'm just a shell. No powers. No way to torment anyone. I might as well be a rock. HAHAHAHA get it?"

Dipper's lip curled up in derision. "Yeah, right. I bet you're behind what's happened to my friends."

"Oh no, not me, nothing doing!" insisted the demonic voice. "Honestly, is there really anything wrong with them? Did they try to eat your face or something? No? Just changed their wardrobe? Oooh, spooky."

Dipper was quiet for a moment. Maybe he _was_ just being paranoid. After all, he'd been gone for a year, and people _do_ change. Then Dipper grunted and shook his head. No. Bill Cipher was trying to convince him that his friends were perfectly normal. Bill Cipher was a demon. Demons lie and manipulate people. Maybe Cipher wasn't actually behind the weirdness, seeing as he was locked in stone, but there was definitely something strange happening, and Dipper was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Dipper stood and brushed the grass from his knees. "Enjoy your prison, Bill. You won't see me again." He turned his back on the stone Cipher, and began to walk away.

"Yeah, right, Pine Tree. Tell me, have you seen Ice Bag yet? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Have fun with _that_! HAHAHAHA! Just you wait, boy—you'll be back soon. The mind is a fragile place! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The sound of Bill's maniacal laughter chased Dipper from the forest, as he sped off in search of Wendy.

/

Soos and Wendy's gang (sans Wendy) had been uncharacteristically forceful in their attempts to convince Stanley and Mabel to accompany them to what they said was a "town meeting." The two thought it strange, but they eventually agreed to go, and clambered into Thompson's van.

The van stopped outside of the Gravity Falls High School gymnasium. Mabel and Stan followed their friends inside, and saw that nearly the entire population of the town filled the bleachers, in a sea of neat black and yellow clothing. Despite the crowd, the gym was eerily quiet. A lone, hooded figure stood at center court. He beckoned to Stan and Mabel with his hands held aloft. Mabel turned to look back at her friends, but they had melted into the crowd.

Mabel turned forward, and as she and Stan walked toward the figure, she noticed the person was rolling a small yellow gemstone between their fingers.

"Ah, the original Mr. Mystery, and young Mabel Pines. We've been expecting you—although we had hoped your brother would be with you as well."

Gazing at the shining yellow jewel, Mabel felt compelled to explain her twin's absence. "Dipper ran off into the woods. He seemed really paranoid about something. But to be fair, it seems like Dipper's always paranoid about something, anymore." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Mabel's cheeks burned crimson, as the shame of sharing Dipper's secret with the entire town hit her.

"Oh, now, sweet child, don't you fret. We'll bring your brother around in due time. He has nothing to fear from any of us," said the hooded stranger. The crowd murmured in agreement. Mabel felt herself relax, as the warmth and sincerity of the figure's words washed over her.

Stanley glanced down at his great niece, a frown spread across his face. He looked back up at the spot where the hooded figure's face should be, never risking a glance at the enticing, shiny jewel in their hand.

"Why the secrecy, then?" barked Stan. "Show me your face, you hooligan!"

The figure chuckled. "You always were a suspicious old coot, weren't you, Stanley? Very well. If it will convince you that I mean no harm, and that you and your niece and nephew are safe, so be it."

The figure raised both hands to clutch the fabric of their hood, the light catching on the spinning, yellow orb that they continued to manipulate, even as they pulled back the hood.

Stan's jaw went slack. He had been worried about something…what was it? He didn't remember.

"Don't worry about anything, now," said the figure, as the hood fell back to reveal their face. "It's all for the Good of the Town."

As the man spoke these words, the entire gymnasium, including Mabel and Stan, echoed them: "FOR THE GOOD OF THE TOWN."

/

Dusk was approaching as Dipper finally made his way out of the forest and back to the Mystery Shack. The Stanmobile was still parked out front, but when Dipper peeked inside, he saw that Mabel's backpack was still sitting on the backseat. If she had gone inside, she would have taken it with her.

Dipper headed toward the front door of the Shack, passing a sleeping Waddles sprawled out on the porch. He needed to find Grunkle Ford's journals. Maybe there'd be a clue in them as to what could be going on in Gravity Falls.

Dipper pushed the gift shop door open, the rusty hinges creaking loudly. He was dismayed at the sight before him. The gift shop was a disaster. Boxes were strewn haphazardly around the room, and a thick layer of dust covered every surface.

Wait. Not every surface. Dipper blinked, and peered closer at the floor, where a set of recent-looking footprints lead from the front door, through the door in the back of the shop labeled "Employees Only." Dipper took a deep breath, and followed the footprints, pushing the door open to reveal his home from the previous summer.

Dipper's already somber mood grew even darker. The air was thick with dust, and smelled musty. It was clear that nobody had been there in a long time. The couch looked like it had been feasted upon by rats, the television was completely busted, and the sickeningly sweet smell of rotten food wafted from the kitchen.

Dipper swallowed back the bile threatening to rise in his throat, and squinted at the floor, trying to see where the footprints that led into the house had gone. His heart nearly stopped when he heard the clunk of someone walking around upstairs. He slowly made his way up the staircase, cursing his luck when a loud creak from the steps tore through the relative silence of the shack.

"Who's there? Soos, is that you, dude?"

Dipper's eyes widened. He could recognize that voice anywhere. He sprinted up the rest of the stairs, and threw open the door to his and Mabel's attic bedroom.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you Wen…dy…" Dipper trailed off.

This was Wendy as he had never seen her before. Her green flannel top, grungy jeans, and heavy boots were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Wendy wore a bright yellow, midriff-baring tank top, a pleated back miniskirt, and black and yellow sneakers. Her long, fire-colored hair was pulled back into French braid pigtails, tied at the ends with yellow satin ribbons. Gone was the lumberjane Dipper was familiar with. In her place was a cheerleader.

Dipper gulped. She was _hot_. But she wasn't Wendy. He slowly backed up, preparing himself to run again.

"Wha-what's going on Wendy?" he stammered. "Why are you…what's with the outfit?"

A smile touched Wendy's face, and she winked at him. "Calm down, dude. It's still me. This is just a disguise, so that the Stepford town will think I'm one of them."

Dipper sighed. His eyes roamed up and down Wendy's body, as he took in how she looked after a year. Yeah. Hot. Dipper blinked and coughed, when he realized where he'd been letting his eyes linger. His cheeks burned, and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I really missed you, Wendy. Wh-when I saw you dressed like a cheerleader, I thought you were one of _them_."

Wendy crossed her arms and grinned. "Yeah right, dork. I'm _sure_ that was your first thought when you saw me like this."

Dipper's entire face burned, as his thirteen-year-old brain went into panic mode. "Wh-what?" he stammered.

"I really missed you, _Big_ Dipper," Wendy purred, slowly walking across the room toward him. Dipper felt like his brain was short circuiting. Why was she saying everything like some kind of innuendo?

"I'm so glad you're back now—can you please help me?" Wendy murmured softly. She reached out, and cupped his cheek, bringing his face close to her own.

Dipper's body went into lock down. Wendy was trying to kiss him. On one hand, he felt like pumping a fist in the air in victory, and letting her. His rational brain, however, won out. He gazed into her eyes, and realized they were slightly unfocused, like she wasn't really seeing him. Like she was in a dream. Without thinking, Dipper's hand shot up, and he smacked Wendy hard across the face.

"Ah! What the hell?" shouted Wendy, leaping backward and holding a hand against her bright red cheek. "Wait, Dipper? Where am I? Why the hell did you just hit me? Why are you even here? School isn't out for like a month!" She glared at him, her eyes fully in focus. The vapid smile she'd been wearing was nowhere in sight.

Dipper bit his lip, and tried to keep his chin from trembling, as he murmured "I'm sorry, Wendy."

Wendy blinked, and realized that Dipper was nearly the same height as she was. She also realized that his eyes were wet with unshed tears.

"Why did you slap me, dude?" she asked softly.

"You-you were trying to kiss me, and your eyes—they didn't look right and I panicked, and oh God, I'm so sorry Wendy, I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm so sorry!" The words came rushing out in a jumble as he rushed over to her and hugged her.

Wendy hugged him back. "I…tried to kiss you?" she asked hesitantly. "Why?"

Dipper let her go and stepped away from her. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know…something weird is going on in Gravity Falls. It may have something to do with why you're dressed like _that_." He gestured to her outfit.

Wendy looked down and took in her ensemble, her cheeks glowing more brightly than her hair. "I'm a—I'm a fucking cheerleader," she said, a bit too calmly. "Whoever did this is _so_ dead."

"Everyone else was dressed in GFHS colors, too. Does this have something to do with the high school?" asked Dipper.

Wendy frowned. A vague image of a hooded figure and a yellow stone came to mind. The hooded figure was standing in the center of the high school gym. Almost as soon as the memory appeared, it began to slip away.

"Yeah, GFHS. The gym." She winced, and held a hand to her forehead. "A guy in black, with a yellow rock or something…it was shiny… Dipper, you have to destroy it… it was so shiny… I can't…" Wendy gripped the sides of her head and let out a loud groan, falling to her knees.

"Wendy!" cried Dipper, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?"

Wendy giggled softly, and Dipper's stomach dropped. She looked up at him, doe-eyed, a vacant smile plastered on her face.

"Of course I'm okay, dork," she said. She took Dipper's offered hand, and got to her feet. She reached out to stroke his hair, and he flinched.

"Aw, don't be like that, dude," purred Wendy. "Come to the school with me, Dipper. Then everything will be alright. Then we can be together."

Her words made Dipper's heart hurt. "To-together. S-sure, Wendy," he stammered, swallowing hard, and forcing a smile. "Let's go."

Dipper's face was hard with his resolve. Whoever did this was going to pay.

/

It was fully dark out by the time Dipper and Wendy reached GFHS. They had walked, and while they walked, fake Wendy chattered at Dipper nonstop, telling all the things he wanted to hear: She wanted to be with him. She'd been a fool to deny she'd had feelings for him last summer. As she prattled on, Dipper smiled grimly. He wanted to hear those things, yes. But from the real Wendy Corduroy. The one wearing green flannel, with mud on her boots, and a hatchet stuck through the belt loop on her jeans. Not this impostor.

As they entered the gymnasium, Dipper tried to ignore Wendy's simpering. He ran through everything that had happened back at the Shack in his head. The shock of being slapped had momentarily awakened the real Wendy. He knew then he had to somehow shock the entire town. He couldn't very well run around slapping every individual. How could he shock the entire town at once?

"Welcome, young Dipper! Wendy, my dear, I'm so glad you were able to persuade our friend to join us!"

The voice drew Dipper out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a mysterious hooded figure welcoming him with open arms. He gazed around the gym, and saw his family, his friends—all the people he had grown close with over the previous summer. White-hot anger settled comfortably into Dipper's chest. This was an anger he had not felt in a long time. This level of hatred was reserved for only one thing.

"Cipher."

The name escaped Dipper's lips the instant his eyes fell on the stone in the robed figure's hand. The stone was a piece of the demon's statue, Dipper was sure of it. An idea began to form in the back of the young teen's mind.

"Who are you?" Dipper demanded, glaring intently at the man who had the entire population of Gravity Falls in his thrall.

"What, you don't recognize me?" the stranger said cheerfully. He let his hood fall back.

Dipper blinked. "Tad Strange? What? Why? You're like, the most normal person in Gravity Falls!" Dipper paused, looking around at the crowd of vacant faces. "Well, you _used_ to be."

Tad chuckled. "Exactly, Dipper! I'm normal—and now so is everyone else in this weird, God-forsaken town. No more weirdness, no more monsters, no more demons. All because of my little, magic rock."

While Tad was talking, Dipper had drooped his shoulders and looked at the floor, in seeming defeat. He was waiting for his moment. This was it.

A maniacal grin spread across Dipper's face, as he lift his head. He let it loll loosely on his shoulders, as if he wasn't used to _having_ a head to hold up.

"Don't you mean _my_ rock, Tadpole?" Eyes wide, Dipper let out a high-pitched giggle, and stretched his arms out, dancing a little shimmy. "Oh my _God_ , it feels so _good_ to move about freely after a year in this pathetic meat-sack's head!"

Tad's expression instantly switched from smug satisfaction to absolute terror. "No, you can't be back—you were defeated! You were dead!" he screamed at the boy who had once been Dipper Pines.

A massive shift took place in the attitudes of the townsfolk crowding the bleachers. Murmurs rippled through the sea of black and yellow. Could it really be true? Was Bill Cipher back?!

The possessed Dipper strode confidently toward Tad Strange, but several familiar faces rushed to block his way. Stan, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy gathered protectively in front of the man who had brought peace and normality to Gravity Falls.

Bipper threw his head back, and laughed. "Oh, this is just too much. Geezer, Shooting Star, Ice Bag and Idiot Man-Child are gonna stop me. That's rich. We all know that you won't wanna hurt my widdle Pine Tree meat suit, so shoo. Get out of my way."

"We won't let you hurt Tad," they said in eerie unison.

The meat-suit formerly known as Dipper stopped in front of them with his hands on his hips. "Hmm. Yep, gonna have to fix this. I just can't _believe_ that no one noticed that I was still here. I'm lookin' at you, Shooting Star. Did you really not notice, or did you simply not care any more? I mean, come on—all the nights he woke up screaming, seeing his friends dying over and over in thousands of horrific ways—and you just couldn't be bothered to give a damn, could you? Hoo boy, did Dipper hate you for that. You had all the friends you could want, and no time to spare for poor little Dipper. Mmmm. His pain was _delicious_."

"Stop please, just stop!" Mabel cried. She'd clamped her hands over her ears, and tears rolled down her cheeks. The murmur from the crowd increased in volume, as it dawned on the populace that the dream demon was once again among them.

The demon-possessed teen continued smiling widely, as he swung his head around, and gestured toward Soos and Stan. "And you two," he spat. "One's too stupid to help his friend, and the other doesn't give two shits, because there's not a quick buck to be made. Ugh. Pathetic. I love it."

Then he turned to Wendy. A look that could have been easily mistaken for compassion crossed his features, before it was quickly replaced with a look of complete derision.

"Ah, Red. He hates _you_ most of all! You were the one person who got him—the one person he cared about more than anything on this stupid ball of mud—and you abandoned him. All because of the number of revolutions the earth made around the sun between your birthdays. He would have died for you, do you realize that?" Bipper snorted. "Well, I guess in a way he kind of did, huh? HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His high-pitched peal of laughter echoed through the otherwise silent gymnasium, as he walked past the former Dipper's friends and family, all of whom had sunk to their knees in the shock and heartbreak caused by his words. Bipper approached Tad, his hand held out.

"I'll take my stone now, Tad," he whispered, his wide, crazed eyes staring into the depths of Tad Strange's soul. The frightened man knew that if the demon held the stone they were all doomed.

In a sudden burst of motion, Tad Strange dashed the stone to the gymnasium floor, where it shattered into dust. With the stone broken, so was Tad's influence over everyone's minds. The residents of the town began collapsing, as their brains began a hard reset.

Dipper Pines looked at the most normal man in Gravity Falls, his eyes narrowed in absolute loathing—not only for brainwashing his friends and family, but for the things he had said.

Dipper took a step toward Tad, his voice coming out in a low growl.

"Run."

Tad Strange spun on his heel and fled the gym in horror.

/

Dipper's anger quickly faded, and was replaced by an ache deep in his chest, as he stared down at his friends and family sprawled on the floor around him. He knew acting the way he had was the only way to get Tad to destroy the stone, but it was at the cost of his relationships with the people he loved most in the world. The things he'd said—he was sure that they'd never be able to forgive him. Nor would they ever trust him again, instilled with a new fear that the demon could be hiding just below the surface of Dipper's consciousness, waiting for a chance to strike. Dipper didn't think he could handle the pain. He had saved everyone, and lost them at the same time.

Dipper sighed and tucked his hands into his pockets. He trudged toward the gym's exit, and upon reaching it, turned to face everyone he loved one last time.

"Goodbye," he whispered. Then he pushed through the door. The night breeze cooled his hot cheeks, as he disappeared into the darkness.

 **/**

 **/**

 **I've been working on this story for two years now, and I decided it was time to go back and get the first few chapters up to snuff. I'll be rewriting up through chapter four.**

 **I'd love reviews or messages, they really keep me going. If you remember the original first chapter, what do you think of this rewrite? Is there anything in particular you'd like to see happen in the story where it stands currently? Have you picked up on any of the little Easter eggs I've scattered throughout the story (especially in the later chapters)?**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Peace**


	2. New Beginnings

Authors note: I still do not own Gravity falls or any of its characters, the belong to Disney and Alex Hirsch.

Chapter 2

New Beginnings

The surface of the pond reflected the night sky like a mirror, every star caught perfectly. The surrounding forest was strangely quiet, no night birds sang, no insects droned; the only noise was the gentle breeze rustling through the tall tree tops. At the edge of the pond a figure stood, gazing at the stillness, finding peace in the silence. Here in the darkness of these woods, in the beauty of nature, he had found serenity. At least for the moment.

A trill noise came from his pocket, a text message from his sister 'Dip, where are you'? Dipper sighed his moment of peace gone. In truth he was less than 15 minutes from the Mystery Shack, but if he didn't respond with something the texts would continue. 'Out in the woods near shack'. He then turned off the phone just wanting to be alone with his thoughts before they found him.

His mind began to replay the events of the past few hours, driving Tad out of town, the horror on his friends and families faces when they thought he was Bill telling them horrible things, and he thought of the girl with the hair of fire, his crush Wendy.

"Gahhh, couldn't even have one day back before I screwed everything up. I said I hated her, damn it even dead Cipher makes my life hell." Dipper complained to the woods.

It was then that Dipper noticed a small, soft light forming over the surface of the pond. The ball of light moved closer to the boy, pulsing slightly. Fear rising, the boy backed away.

"Wh-What are you? What do you ww-want?" He heard a slight chuckle from the glowing orb.

"Be at ease, Star-child, I mean no harm to you. I just wished to thank the conqueror of the Demon-Triangle in person. As to your first inquiry, I am a wisp, a spirit of guidance."

"A spirit of guidance? Like a guide or like advice stuff?" Dipper asked switching into thrilled researcher once he realized the wisp was friendly. Dipper just wished that he had his journal on him. "Wait, did you just call me Star-child? What do you mean?"

In response the wisp flew towards Dipper's forehead.

"This marking here, the one hidden under your hat, it marks you as a Star-child." The creatures answer only brought up more questions.

"Ok yeah but what does that even mean?"

The orb bounced above Dipper's shoulder. "Your friends are approaching, be honest with them Star-child, they will understand. They may even surprise you. Come visit me when you find yourself in need of guidance." The light began to retreat back to the center of the pond, fading as it went.

"Wait, you never told me what you meant!"

It was then that he heard movement in the trees behind him. Thinking it was his sister Dipper turned around to apologize.

"Mabel, I'm sorry that all this happened, I just…Wendy!" Dipper felt his mouth slam shut. Tears streamed down the older teen's face as she pulled him into a tight bear hug.

"When we woke up and you were gone, I..we thought we'd lost you. Dipper, are you ok? Did Bill hurt you? What happened?"

Dipper felt like his insides would flop out of his throat, he was going to have to tell her it was him that said everything, that Bill was gone. He looked at his friends tear stained cheeks, the relief in her eyes that he was ok. "Come on Wendy, let's go find the others, then I'll explain everything.

The pair walked in silence through the woods, reaching the Shack in 15 minutes. Breaking through the tree line Dipper saw Mabel, Stan, and Soos; a mixture of fear, worry and relief was plastered across their faces. Before they could even speak, Dipper held up his hands "Please, I'm just really tired right now. I promise I'll explain everything in the morning, I just need to rest." Walking past his family he grabbed his bag and started towards his upstairs room.

"Dipper, wait we can't stay here. The place is gonna fall apart if someone sneezes to hard." Mabel explained, grabbing her brothers shoulder. "Wendy said you could stay at her place, I'm going to stay with Candy and Grenda, and Grunkle Stan is gonna crash at Soos' place. Ok bro-bro?" Mabel just wanted her brother to be ok.

He seemed to deflate even more "Ok Mabel, whatever you say."

The two teens walked along the well-worn path that led to Wendy's house. Several times each tried to start talking but returned to silence, they couldn't think of how they wanted to begin. As Wendy passed beneath a beam of moonlight, Dipper stopped, he was once again taken back by how perfect this girl was. The light of the moon seemed to make her soft pale skin radiate and her hair glow like embers.

"Wendy, it was me." Dipper whispered as he stopped walking.

Wendy just turned and gave him a small smile "I know Dipper, but did you mean it or was it just something you had to say?

Wait did she just say that she knew it was him, that he was never possessed by the demon. "It's been a hard year for me Wendy. If I didn't fit in in Piedmont before, I really didn't when we got back last year. I made like zero friends, I got beat-up a lot, and I couldn't talk to anyone. I had nightmares at least once a week, I see you and all of the people in Gravity Falls hurt or worse. I missed you." Dippers voice grew softer and softer as he talked. "Are we still friends?"

Wendy pulled the boy into her arms "It'll get better now that you're here. I missed you to Dip. And of course we're still friends." The last word caught in her throat bringing up memories from last summer, outside of the bunker. "Let's hurry back to my place and get some sleep."

Continuing their walk, a smile started to grow on dippers face, maybe it would be ok. Meanwhile Wendy was pulled back to a more recent memory.

 _Flashback 6 weeks ago /_

Wendy, Nate, Lee, Thompson, Robbie, and Tambry are all sitting on the front steps of the high school talking about what they want to do to keep the approaching summer interesting.

"Hello, earth to Wendy, you ok in there?"

"Huh, what? Oh sorry guys I was just thinking about something." Wendy started, as she absently twirled a blue and white cap in her hands.

The simple movement and sudden start went unnoticed by everyone but Tambry. Whipping out her phone she started to type and talk at the same time. "Status update:OMG!" Fear registered in Wendy's eyes. Tambry knew, but how?

"come with me right now, we have to talk about this." Tambry squealed pulling Wendy up and back into the school.

The boys just stared at each other "What the hell was that about?"

Safely inside a classroom, well out of earshot Tambry turned on her bestfriend "Ok girl spill. What is going on with you?"

"Ww…What are you talking about? Im good." Wendy could feel the heat start to rise in her cheeks.

In response Tambry just turned her phone on her friend and snapped a quick picture. "yeah you're good, right that's why you're turning the same color as your hair. Tell me, come on Wendy." Tambry said starting to get a little frustrated. "what's got the chilliest girl in school nervous and blushing?"

'Dipper's gonna be back in a few weeks and.."

 _/_

Wendy was pulled from her reminiscing as she realized the two teens had reached her house. Dropping down on the sofa the weight of the day came rushing down on them, pulling them both into deep dreamless sleep.

"This is Shandra Jimenez reporting live from Gravity Falls Lake. Late last night a tractor trailer lost control leaving the highway and rolling down the embankment. Clean up efforts are already underway but the lake is currently closed to visitors. At this time we do not have a report of what the truck was carry.." Click.

"Welcome back to Gravity Falls Bargain Movie Showcase, up next 'Ghost Turtle'." Wendy cracked her eyes slightly wincing as sunlight fell in her face.

"Dipper turn off the tv, it's too early."

A sleepy voice mumbled from beneath her "I didn't do it Wendy, still too tired." Wait, I was sleeping on Dipper flashed across her mind before a voice shattered the morning stillness.

"IT WAS ME. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, YOUNG LADY?" Wendy's eyes flew open as she jumped to the opposite side of the couch.

"Dad, uh we were just sleeping. It was late when we got home and we just fell asleep. That's all that happened." Oh crap we are in so much trouble.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM WHILE I TALK TO THIS BOY." Face nearly matching her hair Wendy retreated down the hallway to her room. "SO BOY YOU…ok now that shes in her room I don't need to be so loud. It's a strain on the throat sometimes." Dipper stared at Manly Dan Corduroy amazed that he was speaking in a normal voice.

"Sir, it's just like Wendy said we just feel asleep and well…" Dipper trailed off thinking how it must have looked. "I know that son, I walked in right after the two of you passed out. Its just fun to make my daughter blush from time to time, especially in front of her boyfriend."

"Um…. boyfriend. I'm not…I mean we aren't... huh?"

Manly Dan just chuckled "Well I think that's letting her sweat long enough…WENDY GET OUT HERE." Face still the color of a tomato Wendy came back into the living.

"yeah dad?"

"I LIKE THIS ONE, BUT I DON'T WANT TO CATCH THE TWO OF YOU TANGLED UP ON THE COUCH AGAIN. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Ok dad, ill be home for dinner tonight. Bye." Grabbing dipper off the couch she pulled him toward the door.

"Oh my god I can't believe that happened. Im so sorry dipper, what did he say?" Shock was still plastered on his face as he gazed at her.

"Why does your dad think im your boyfriend?" was the only thing dipper could think to say. Dipper didn't think it was possible for a face to get any redder than Wendys had been until he asked her that.

"Umm..What..haha..thats what my dad said? Oh man um you know probably cause of the couch. Yeah that sounds believable…?" Wait was Wendy trying to hide something from him, about him. Dipper stopped in the middle of the trail, at almost the exact spot they had paused the night before.

"What's going on?"

 _/6 weeks ago/_

..and I think I really like him Tambry. Like he's always on my mind and I've missed him so much."

"Well then tell him stupid, its not that hard." Tambry was smirking at her friend. She was really surprised that it had taken her this long to admit her feelings for the younger teen. "I mean we've all known since the second week of school. You kept sighing and staring at his hat. We just didn't want you to snap at us or shut us out."

"Wait you guys all knew. Great you've all been talking about me. Uh I'm so stupid. I can't just tell him Tambry. I kinda told him we had to be 'just friends' before the summer ended."

"Look Wendy we all like him, he's a cool guy. Just tell him."

 _/_

"Do you remember what I said outside of the bunker last summer?" Dipper could feel his heart drop, of course he remembered that she just wanted to be friends, that she was too old for him.

"Yeah, Wendy…I know..I remember. We're friends right?"

"Dipper, I was wrong." His head jerked up like he'd been slapped

"Yo..you don't want to be my friend anymore."

"No dork. I mean I like you too." Was he hearing her right, did she really say what I think shes saying.

"I'm sorry, who are you and what have you done with Wendy."

A smile came to her lips "Shut up dork ah alright I may or may not have been crushing on you like all year.

"Wait so when your dad called me your boyfriend…he was right?"

"Only if you still want to go out with me."

The first true feelings of happiness bounded across Dippers face for the first time in a year, "Yes of course I still want to but only if you're sure."

Then tender moment on the path was interrupted by the beep of two cell phone messages, 'You tell him yet? If you haven't we're coming over to do it for you - tambry' 'Hey can you keep Dipper occupied today, planning a surprise and need him out the way – Mabel ;-P.'

Wendy smiled "How about an all-day bad movie marathon to celebrate, we can invite all the guys over eat junk food and pizza and just chill, ya know just normal high school couple stuff."

"Sounds amazing but you might wanna lose the cheerleader outfit before they get here." Realizing she was still dressed that way she busted into laughter "Oh man I'd never live it down if they saw me like this."

Click. "Just a handy blackmail photo."

"You are so dead dipping sauce." Hand in hand the smiling new couple turned back the way they had come, eagerly discussing what movies they should subject their friends to.

About an hour later Nate, Lee, Thompson, Robbie, and Tambry arrived with a couple pizzas, and several bags of snacks and drinks. Tambry was the first one through the door.

"Did you tell him yet?" she was clearly excited to be the one to break the ice on the subject.

Dipper walked over beside Wendy "Tell me what? Whats going on Wendy?" he asked feigning ignorance.

"She's like had a massive crush on you all year man." This came from Thompson loaded down with all the food.

"Thompson!" the screams came from both teenage girls, one in seeming embarrassment, the other that he had spoiled it for her.

"Really, I guess I should do something about that." Placing his hand on the side of her face Dipper pulled her in for a quick kiss. Red crept up the faces of both teens as they heard the shock come from Tambry, and the cheers from the rest of the guys.

Breaking apart from the kiss Wendy turned back to her friends a little sheepishly "I told him before I invited you guys over."

Tambry quickly grabbed Dipper and Wendy's phones, "Let's just go ahead and make this official." As she changed both of their statuses to 'In a relationship.'

Wendy grinned at this "Oh your sister is gonna freak."

"Oh crap, don't remind me." Bringing a laugh from all the friends, knowing Mabel she would instantly be calling and formulating some kind of celebration for the pair. The teens all settled around the living room to enjoy the day watching bad movies, content that Wendy was finally happy.

As the teens enjoyed their movie day, across town the clean up from the tractor trailer wreck continued. Unfortunately, this is Gravity Falls and little goes as planned. The current of the lake brought the barrel to rest in a secluded cave hidden from hikers and fisherman. It was severely dented and the lid was cracked in places. With one final push of a wave the barrel rolled on to shore coming to stop by a clutch of large eggs half buried in the sand. A thick green sludge started to seep from the container, washing the cave in a sickly light. In moments the eggs were covered in goop, the light illuminating the creatures within. Small cracks began to from across their surface, they would be completely free soon and they would be hungry.

Stay tuned for the next chapter: Gobblewonker's Revenge.

 **Thanks for sticking around for chapter 2. This turned out to be a little more 'romance' than I originally intended. I'm going to try to have a chapter update at least once a week, work depending. Until next time readers.**

 **Peace**


	3. Gobblewonkers Revenge

Chapter 3

Gobblewonker's Revenge

The early morning light reflected the surface of the lake, painting the canyon walls in a curtain of fire. The wails of a lake loon echoed in the morning stillness, the last call of the night fading away. In a concealed cave just behind the waterfall, the hatching of new life was happening. And it was horrible. While the mother was a majestic peaceful creature from a time long forgotten, its offspring were twisted reflections of that beauty. Tight squat necks had replaced the long sweeping one of their mother, short thick flippers hung tight against their sides, and instead of powerful tails and rear flippers, they had fused together into a thick rear tail. A dozen pairs of sickly green eyes turned on their mother, natural instinct replaced by only one thought, hunger. They swarmed the creature in a heartbeat, bringing an end to beast that had made these waters home since before time was time. So fell the Gobblewonker, terror still haunting its eyes.

Dipper awoke with a start, eyes adjusting to the darkened room. The clock on the tv read just after six o'clock, way too early to be awake. Beside him his girlfriend shifted in her sleep, hair falling over her face. Moving slowly so he didn't wake her, gently moving the hair from her eyes, he smiled the perfect start to the perfect summer. Eyes now adjusted to the dim light he gazed around looking at how his friends had fallen asleep. Robbie and Tambry curled up in an armchair, Thompson sprawled out in the center of the floor, face covered in various doodles, and Nate and Lee passed out on the other end of the sofa heads thrown back, snores filling the room. He was happy for the first time in forever, surrounded by friends, and the girl he loved. Gently removing himself from Wendy's arms he made his way to the kitchen, starting to make breakfast for everyone.

Mabel had been up for a while now, already on her third cup of Mabel-juice. This was working out better than expected, her bro-bro didn't suspect a thing. Of course he's with Wendy so he is a little distracted, thought the young girl as she pulled cookies from the oven. Sitting down for a moment, she was relieved that everything was going smoothly. After a quick phone call the night before to Wendy, asking if she could keep Dipper occupied for another day, Mabel had begun to bake and decorate in earnest, wanting everything to be perfect for her surprise to her brother. She had known things had been hard for Dipper back in Piedmont, and she knew that everything he had said in the gym was designed to break Tad's charm. But it still had hurt. Hopefully this surprise would make up for everything, and all would be right between the two siblings again. While she had a free minute she decided to browse through all her status notifications for the first time in a few days. "Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God!"

"Oh my god, best breakfast ever!" the group of friends had all gathered around the table, having been woken up by the smell of pancakes and the sound of sizzling bacon. "Well what do you know smart, cute and he can cook. I guess I'm gonna have to keep him around now." Wendy said jokingly, drawing a blush from Dipper.

"So guys, what are we gonna do today?" Thompson asked eager to get the day going.

"Why don't we hit the lake? Do a little swimming, maybe a picnic lunch?" Robbie asked, drawing surprise from the group. "What, I'm not always dark and gloomy."

"Oh man epic water day in the making!" Nate and Lee shouted in unison. Then group made plans for their day on the lake, Robbie and Tambry would bring drinks in a cooler, Nate and Lee went looking for balloons, water guns, old pool toys whatever they could lay their hands on. Meanwhile Thompson was going to see if they could use his mom's boat, and Dipper and Wendy would make lunch.

The two teens stood at the counter making sandwiches. "You know it's a little weird I haven't heard from Mabel at all, especially after the status update. You think I should call her?" dipper asked, a trace of worry creeping into his voice.

"I talked to her yesterday, said she was working on some kind of surprise, probably a party. She asked me to make sure that you stayed distracted today."

"Wait, seriously, a party just want I don't need."

"Come on dude, lighten up you know your sister. And who knows, it could be fun."

Dippers phone began to ring "Speak of the devil. Hey Mabel. Yeah, ok sorry we didn't drop everything to tell you. Yes we will go over everything in detail when we see you. Party…..what are you planning sis. Ok, Ok, 8 o'clock Pine Ave, yes that is hilarious. Bye sis."

"Did she give you any idea what she has planned?"

"No, she's being very secretive. Oh well, guess we'll find out tonight." The pair finished making lunch for everyone and hurried off to the lake to join their friends.

Summer heat and cool water. The perfect combination to make the lake start to draw a crowd. Laughter, yells, and the sound of splashing filled the lake's small beach. Farther from the shore a collection of fishing boats drifted lazily, the fisherman grumpily discussing the lack of fish biting. Pacifica Northwest had been standing on the docks when the teens had arrived at the lake.

"Dipper! You came back for the summer. It's so good to see you." The blonde exclaimed, pulling Dipper into a tight hug.

"H-hey Pacifica. Yeah, me and Mabel just got here a few days ago. Dipper stammered out embarrassed at her embrace. "So what are you up to? Do you want some company?"

So the six teenagers had gained an extra companion, much to the chagrin of one lanky redhead. 'Uh, who does she think she is?' Wendy thought bitterly, 'right off the bat she starts flirting with him. Is he really that clueless that he doesn't see it? Well, Northwest, two can play that game.' Wendy slowly slide closer to Dipper, putting an arm around his chest pulling him closer to her, eyes filled with venom for the young blonde.

"So yeah last summer Mabel and I totally found out that the Gobblewonker was just a robot old man McGuckett made." Dipper continued his story still oblivious to the growing rivalry between the two ladies.

"That's so amazing Dipper. You always figure that kind of stuff out." Pacifica gushed. All Nate and Lee could do was stare, the little dude had two girls fighting over him.

"So, yeah what have you been up to all year? Made any progress with your parents?"

"Not really, except they leave me alone for the most part apparently I 'embarrass them' too much." "You should give Mabel a call, she'd be happy to hear from you." "I'll definitely have to do that; it would be fun to hang out with you guys."

The boat slowly drifted up to the shore. Hopping into the shallow water the boys tied the pontoon to some logs to keep it from drifting. Wendy started building a small fire to roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Soon the sound of the teens talking and laughing filled the stillness of the island. They passed the time telling stories of the school year, and of the stunts they had made Thompson do. Wendy and Dipper sat a little way down the beach, relaxing on a large boulder.

"You know other than the weirdness that first day I was here; this has been the most fun I've had since last summer. And even the weirdness was a welcome change from back home. Man I really missed this place."

"Dude, just think of how much fun we're gonna have the rest of the summer." The couple smiled at each other, taking each other's hand, they began to walk back to group.

The largest of the mutated Gobblewonker hatchlings slide soundlessly through the water, eyes burning at the sight of its new prey. Dipper felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.

"Hey what's that? Some kind of weird lizard?" Nate was pointing at the creature that had just crawled its way onto the rocky beach. Turning its head at the sound of his voice, it bared its teeth and let out a deep growl. "Woah, that thing looks angry."

Eleven slimy heads broke the surface of the water simultaneously, sickly green eyes trained on the seven teens. A collective hiss split the air as they started towards the shore, and their prey.

"Oh crap, everybody run!" Stumbling over each other the terrified group made their way deeper into the island forest, 12 lake creatures right on their trail. Branches clawed at their faces as they ran through the woods.

"Take a right up ahead, there's an old cabin we can hide in." Wendy called from the back of the group. She could see Robbie pull on Tambry's arm, keeping her close as he guided them deeper into the forest. Dippers foot caught in an upturned root causing him to tumble to his knees. He could hear the creatures' snarls closing in. Wincing at the pain throbbing in his ankle he pulled himself to his feet. 'Got to keep going, can't fall behind.' He thought pushing the pain away.

"Dude you have to keep moving, the cabin is just through those trees. Take Pacifica and go, I'll try to lead them off a ways and circle back."

"Wendy no you can't, it's too dangerous. Just come with us." Dipper pleaded.

"Dude, don't sweat it. Can't be any worse than a bear. Now go." Swiftly giving Dipper a soft kiss, the red haired lumberjane ran back the way she had come. "Hey green uglies, fresh meat!" she yelled disappearing into the woods. Pulling Pacifica after him Dipper made his way through the trees as Wendy had indicated, coming upon the cabin in no time.

"Quick guys get in here!" Robbie stood on the porch motioning the two younger teens inside. "Wendy?" he asked as Dipper passed him.

"She led them away from us so we could get here." Tears started to form at the corners of his eyes as he thought of his girlfriend alone in the forest with those monsters.

"Hey man, she can take care of herself ok. She's gonna be alright." Comforting dipper as much as himself.

Fifteen minutes had passed in silence everyone was huddled around the windows waiting to see a flash of red signaling Wendy's return.

"I can't take anymore. I'm gonna go find her." Dipper said jumping up opening the door.

"Don't go, stay here where it's safe. Please Dipper." Pacifica rushed over to him, tears in her eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you." That was when they all heard the growls of the beasts, growing closer.

"Quick everybody, block the windows and the doors. They're coming."

"Game over man, game over. Those thing are gonna get in here man we are so dead." Dipper strode across the cabin, slapping Thompson across the face.

"Enough! Just knock it off man. Can't you see you're scaring her." Dipper said angrily pointing at Pacifica, tears streaming down her face.

"Crap where did those things go." Wendy sat perched on a low tree branch surveying the surrounding woods. The monsters had been right on her heels until she had taken down three of them with a heavy stick.

"Dad's apocalypse training pays off for a second time. I'm gonna have to remember to thank him again." Wincing slightly as she climbed down, she took note of her injuries, mostly just some minor scrapes and bruises. Those thing had gotten in one lucky swipe and if it had not been for quick reflexes and a little luck it would have torn her stomach open, instead her swimsuit had seen better days. She made her way back toward the cabin stealthily, one arm holding the remains of her suit together.

"Crap those freaks are already here. How am I gonna get in?" Looking at the house she saw a spot on the roof that had collapsed in. She smiled, 'Guess I'm going up.'

"Well can we try to fight them off? Do we have anything to use as weapons?" Nate asked eyeing the mutant lake monsters from the window.

"There are too many of them, we would get swarmed before we even took down one." Dipper was pacing trying to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe. A noise from the roof made everyone go still.

"What was that…?" Lee started as the roof came caving down. In the middle of the wreckage sat Wendy arms crossed tight over her chest, face matching the color of her hair.

"I need a shirt. Now!" The red now spread to all the faces in the room, hastily turning their backs.

"Hhere Wwendy. Take mine." Dipper stammered out as he tossed his shirt behind him.

"Thanks dude. I really appreciate this…" Click.

Tambry couldn't hold back her laughter "Oh this one is definitely blackmail worthy. You should see your face right now Wen."

"Tambry! Delete. It. Now. I don't want this on your blog. There are monsters out there, remember?"

"ok ok sheesh, just trying to lighten the mood." 'Image deleted.'

A low roar split the afternoon air, much louder and deeper than the lake monster's growls.

"What is that? Is it a bigger one?"

"No it almost sounds like.." the roar came again, bringing with it the memory of what caused it.

"I know what that is! And ive got a plan." Dipper exclaimed as inspiration struck. "I'm just gonna need a head start."

"No. No freaking way are you going out there by yourself."

"Hey I'll be ok, no different than any other adventure, right."

The two stared each other down, his brown eyes filled with determination against her emeralds filled with concern.

"Alright, but I'm gonna be right behind you. Everybody head to the backdoor and make as much noise as you can. Dip as soon as they move, we move." The pair stood on either side of the door watching as the yells and screams of their friends drew the monsters to the other end of the cabin.

"Give me two minutes and then make sure they follow us." Dipper explained before pushing out the door and breaking into a sprint. 'Please let this be crazy enough to work.'

Running as fast as he could he reached the wreckage of a beaver colony, and there it sat in almost the same place as it had last year. The source of the loud roar, and hopefully the key to getting rid of these creatures.

"Dipper hurry, their coming quick. What are you doing? Woah dude, great idea." Wendy had noticed the old chainsaw in Dipper's hands. Pulling the ripcord, the old machine flared to life filling the woods with its loud growl.

"Groovy." Dipper whispered, drawing a raised eyebrow from Wendy.

The monsters came rushing from the trees, no idea that they were about to meet their end, the only consuming thought was the hunger. The rusting chainsaw easily cut through the creatures, but on they came as one by one they fell to the roaring weapon. Dipper was covered in green goo, as the last one dropped, the chainsaw falling silent. It had taken less than a minute, but it had felt like an hour.

"I'm gonna jump in the lake to try to get this crap off me. I'll meet everybody back at the boat, ok?" Dipper took the other path leaving Wendy to go get everyone from the cabin. Reaching the shore he slid into the water, letting the gentle current wash away the goo.

"Why does this stuff keep happening to me? Am I just a supernatural magnet? Or is it really just the way that Gravity Falls is? Dipper wondered aloud to himself. Deep in his musings he didn't notice the group had reached the boat.

"Hey Dipper! Let's go man! Enough adventure for one day, right buddy." In spite of all the weirdness they were his friends, just chalking up the day to growing up in Gravity Falls. As the boat reached the main shore, the friends went their separate ways, not before making plans to meet up at the mall later in the week. Smiling over her shoulder Pacifica promised that he would see a lot more of her over the next few weeks. Which got Wendy mad all over again.

"Pretty wild day huh?"

"Yeah mutant gobblewonker babies, that's a new one for us."

"Hey we did alright dude, at least nobody got seriously hurt."

"yeah well, I think that's enough adventure and excitement for a few days."

"Hey don't forget we still have your sisters surprise party to deal with." A groan escaped Dipper as the pair walked hand in hand back into town. Making their way to Pine St, they could easily tell the house by the gathering of cars out front. Dipper slowed as they passed a black Lexus.

"California plates, who has California plates in Gravity Falls? Wait HDDN26…that's…." Dipper trailed off in stunned silence.

"Dipper, What's wrong dude?"

"Wendy, Why are my parents in Gravity Falls?"

Darkness had settled in the forest, the moon absent from the night sky. The stars seemed to shine brighter, casting their soft glow on a small pond.

"It has already started. There can be no going back." One constellation was clearly visible on the waters surface. Ursa Major.

"Dipper Pines, Star-Child, I hope you are ready."

/

What could possibly be going on?

Stay tuned next time for Chapter 4: Unexpected Answers

I'd really appreciate any feedback/reviews that anyone has to give. This is really my first time writing anything in over 15 years so I'm a little rusty.

Peace


	4. Unexpected Answers

Chapter 4

Unexpected Answers

Dusk had fallen on the sleepy town in the pacific northwest, the world painted in muted color. Far from heavy city lights, the stars could be seen more clearly here, each pinprick shining brightly on a sea of darkness. A half dozen cars were parked in front of a newer two story home, light filtered through the windows, highlighting the people inside. Dipper Pines stood frozen, one hand on the door knob, straining to overhear any conversation. _What the heck are my parents doing here. They barely had anytime to see me and Mabel leave a few days ago and now they are in Gravity Falls. This is really weird._

"Dude are you gonna go in or not? I mean it's just your parents, how bad could it be?" said Wendy drawing him back to reality.

"Right, how bad could it be…" Dipper trailed off, worry griping his stomach. Slowly pushing the door open Dipper called out "Hey Mabel, are you in there?"

"SURPRISE!"

Walking into the living room of the house Dipper and Wendy were greeted by Mabel, Soos, Stan, Ford, Candy, Grenda and Jacob and Meredith Pines (Dipper and Mabel's parents). _Wait why is Manly Dan here?_ Dipper thought glancing around the room at his friends and family.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Wendy asked the question on Dippers mind.

"THE LITTLE GIRL INVITED ME." Roared Manly Dan pointing at Mabel.

"Hey guys, what's going on? Whose house is this anyway?"

"Well kid, Poindexter over here bought this place a few months ago, something about not wanting to keep living in a shack, some nonsense like that." Explained Grunkle Stan.

"Well yes Stanley, as you so kindly gave away the shack last summer, I thought we should at least have somewhere to stay." Ford responded sarcasm creeping into his voice.

"Oh you could have stayed at the shack with no problems Mr. Pineses. It wouldn't have bothered me at all." Soos said cheerily around a mouthful of junk food.

"Ok can we back up just a second, what are you guys doing up here?" Dipper asked, gesturing at his parents.

"That's part of the surprise bro-bro. Well you know how it hasn't really been an easy year for you? I kinda told the grunkles about it, like 6 months ago. You remember that day I was like really 'sick' and had to stay home, it was really because Stan and Ford were coming to talk to mom and dad." Mabel explained, rushing to get the words out in just one breath.

"Well you see dear, your great uncles made a very compelling argument on your behalf, about how happy you were here, and all the friends that you had; and well we decided that it was in your best interest," said Meredith, picking up where Mabel had left off.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Dipper cluelessly.

"Wait….Are you dudes saying what I think your saying? Like for real?" Wendy asked an idea dawning on her.

"Well son, it looks like your girlfriend there understands perfectly, so why don't you ask her about it." Jacob replied, teasing his son.

"Wendy, what is it? What do they mean?"

"Dude, you get to stay! Your moving to Gravity Falls full time!"

"Wait, we seriously get to stay here for the school year. We get to live in Gravity Falls? Oh my god this is awesome."

"Yes well sweetie we just want what's best for you kids and if that means letting you stay with your great uncles, well then that's what we do." Meredith explained, happy that her children were happy.

"Oh Mabel you are the best twin a brother could ask for thank you so much for doing this."

"Dipper, why don't you go check out your new room, all the way up."

Dipper grabbed Wendy's hand pulling her toward the stairs eager to see his new room and start unpacking his stuff.

"Oh and Dipper, there's one more surprise I made for you on your bed, it should definitely help with any research you do this summer," Ford called after the boy as he raced up the steps.

Opening the door to the attic wide, Dipper and Wendy glanced around the room, several boxes were stacked just inside the door but a couple had already been unpacked. An old computer perched on one corner of a desk, several small bookcases built into the walls had started to be filled, a flat screen TV with had been mounted on the wall opposite of the bed, and through a side door a small bathroom was visible.

On the bed lay Ford's gift, a thick heavy book bound in blue leather, constellation Ursa Major in the place of a 6 fingered hand. Beside the journal lay a note **'Its about time that you had a journal of your own, but don't worry it also has the information of my three contained in it as well. Use it well. -Ford'.**

"Dude, this room is awesome. I know where were having movie night from now on." Wendy said admiring the TV on the wall as Dipper flopped onto the bed excitedly flipping through his new journal. Downstairs Mabel, Candy, and Grenda were making plans for the first of many epic-sleepovers.

"Well girls it looks like it's going to be an epic night of music, games, bad romance novels, and talking about boys. The night's not getting any younger. Let's go!" With a cry that would make a Viking proud the three girls charged up the stairs, ready for the night of fun.

"WENDY, IT'S GETTING LATE TIME TO GO. YOU CAN PLAY WITH YOUR LITTLE BOYFRIEND TOMORROW." Manly Dan's voice echoed through the living room, startling the adults sitting around talking quietly.

"Jeez Dad, I'm right here. You didn't need to yell." The red faced teen muttered as she came down the stairs. "I'll call you tomorrow Dip. See ya dude." Wendy waved as she and her dad left for the night.

"Back in town for 3 days and you already have a girlfriend. Now we know why you were so anxious to come back for the summer." Jacob said a wink in his eye.

"Aw come on dad, really?" Dipper's cheeks beginning to blush.

"She seems very nice dear. I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks mom, and really thank you guys so much for agreeing to let us stay up here all year. I know that can't have been an easy decision. I'm going to go unpack a little more then head to bed. Night everybody." Dipper turned and walked back up the steps to his room.

"Well Stans, I too must be going. Tomorrow we start the renovation on the mystery shack and I wanna be in top form dudes. I can't believe I let it get so bad while I was hypno….I mean on…vacation. Yeah vacation. Whew good save Soos, they don't suspect a thing." Soos left hurriedly.

Stan, Ford, Jacob and Meredith all decided that the party mess could wait until the morning, saying their goodnights they retreated to their respective rooms. Ford to the basement to begin work on some bizarre contraption, Stan to fall asleep in front of the TV, and Jacob and Meredith to the guest room. The house fell silent except for the occasion squeal of laughter from Mabel's room.

Manly Dan and Wendy were walking in the growing darkness to their little cabin. "SO DO YOU REALLY LIKE THIS ONE OR IS IT JUST GOING TO BE ANOTHER BOYFRIEND?"

"I really like him dad, I don't want it to turn out like all the others. I hope I just don't screw this one up too."

"YOU JUST… sorry. You'll be fine sweetie; he does seem like he is a good kid. BUT IF HE HURTS YOU HE'S IN FOR A WORLD OF TROUBLE." Manly dad smiled winking down at his only daughter.

"Thanks dad, it means a lot." Wendy whispered wrapping her dad into a big bear hug. They walked the rest of the way home in silence.

Closing her door behind her Wendy was able to let her cool exterior crumble and the normal teenage girl emerge. Reaching into her top dresser drawer, Wendy pulled out an old piece of paper, well-worn and covered in tear stains.

 _ **Dearest Daughter,**_

 _ **I'm so sorry that I won't be there to watch you grow. To celebrate in your triumphs, to help you through your trials. I know the life I have left you with cannot have been easy, helping your father raise your little brothers. Yet I know you will be strong for them. I sorry that I have to leave you at all, but I cannot stay and you cannot come with me. I will love you always and hope that I can one day see your smiling face once more.**_

 _ **Love Always,**_

 _ **Mom**_

 _I really wish you could be here mom. Everything is finally going good. I miss you so much._ Wendy laid on her bed reading the letter, wishing her mom could see her now. She let the stress and excitement of the day overtake her, falling into sleep.

Green blurred on either side of him as Dipper ran through the woods, wind whipping in his ears. Trees gave way to a clearing, the vast sky a brilliant cloudless blue. _Almost there, don't stop running. Sweet freedom._ The cliff edge came into view, a smile playing on the youths face. He didn't stop, just leapt into the expanse, watching as he sped toward the lake surface a hundred feet below. _The weightlessness, the freedom, no pain in the moment._ He closed his eyes just before impact.

Dipper awoke with a start. _That was intense._ He glanced over at the alarm clock. _2:15. Great wide awake now._ Dipper switched on the light on his bedside table, so he wouldn't run into anything in the unfamiliar bedroom. He grabbed his new journal, starting to flip the pages at random, when he had landed on a page he hadn't seen before. **Constellation markings: Deep in the caverns in the woods I have found several cave drawings depicting various constellations, as well as a strange language I have been unable to decipher. Will continue research at later date. 6/12/80.** _Wait constellation markings, huh I wonder if the wisp knows anything about that, he seemed really interested in my birth mark._ Getting dressed and grabbing a jacket, a flashlight and his journal; he slipped soundlessly out of his new home.

Dipper approached the small pond. T _his place is so peaceful at night._ The air was still as he knelt by the water's edge, the bird song providing soft background noise. A rustle in the trees took Dippers attention from the pond for just a second, and when he turned back there was the ball of light.

"Greetings Star-Child. What can I assist you with tonight?"

"I want answers. I want to know what's really going on with this town."

"Very well young one. I will answer what questions I can, however some knowledge you must seek on your own. What would you like to know first?"

"What does Star-Child actually mean? Like other than the mark on my forehead."

"You are a Star-Child because of the mark, as for what that entails, that is for you to discover. You already know where to find those answers young one, the question being are you brave enough to go looking."

"Ok, moving on, what about this town why do weird fantastical things keep popping up all the time?"

"This forest is home to many wonderful and dangerous beings. The forest harbors many secrets, you could spend all your life searching and still find new things. This place sits on a nexus point, a place where reality's walls are thin. It makes it easy for things to enter this world and for travel to other planes as well."

"I thought it was just Ford's portal that did that, you mean it's always been like this."

"Yes, while your uncles' portal was able to specify a dimension to open, these woods have always been a gateway."

"Wow. So that's why this place is so amazing."

"Indeed Star-Child, but about your first inquiry, do you intend to seek your answers?"

"Yes I want to understand what you mean."

"Then go, you know the way." Dipper was off through the darkened woods, flashlight bobbing along in front of him, racing for the caverns hidden in the trees. He slowed as he came upon the dark crack in the earth, every alarm possible was ringing in his head. _Danger, danger do not go into the creepy caves in the middle of the night. At least wait until morning._ Yet, he continued down into the darkness. Walking for several minutes he noticed a soft light coming from a small side tunnel. Squeezing between the rocks, Dipper found himself in a large chamber, constellations glowing on the walls and ceiling, recreating the night sky.

"Woah, this is amazing." Dipper whispered lost in the vastness of the stars. A voice echoed through the cave.

"DIPPER PINES, YOU HAVE COME AT LAST."

"Wh..what? Who..Who said that?" Startled Dipper began to back slowly toward the entrance to the cavern. Smoke drifted down from the stars, forming six ghostly figures.

"WE ARE THE ONES WHO CAME BEFORE, THE ONES WHO STILL HOLD VIGIL ON THIS LAND."

Letting himself calm down for a moment, Dipper noticed a different star pattern glowing on each apparition.

"Star-Child." The words had escaped Dippers mouth before he could process it.

"YES, AS WE WERE SO YOU ARE NOW. GUARDIANS OF THESE WOODS. WOULD YOU ANSWER THE CALL OF DESTINY, DIPPER PINES? WOULD YOU STAND IN DEFENCE OF THE GOODLY CREATURES WHO CALL THESE WOODS HOME, BOTH MAGICAL AND MUNDANE? TO GUARD THE BREACH BETWEEN WORLDS, TO BE ITS PROTECTOR? TO SMITE THE EVILS THAT SEEK DESTRUCTION AND CHAOS? CHOOSE DIPPER PINES, DESTINY OR A LIFE OF NORMALCY."

 _This is not what I expected, oh man, what should I do. I mean when has my life been normal lately anyway, so it might be nice for it all to have a purpose, but then again 'destiny' sounds pretty loaded, like it's all gonna be on me. How could I even handle that?_ A smile touched his lips. _But I can handle it. All the creatures last year, the mysteries, Cipher, weirdmageddon and heck the past three days. I handled it, ok so I had help, but I did ok._

"Destiny, I chose Destiny." Dipper stated looking around at the six figures.

"PREPARE TO BE TESTED."

A roar shook the cavern walls, driving Dipper to his knees. A giant bear with eight heads rushed through the smoky remnants, thick ropes of saliva dripping from its many jaws.

"Multi-Bear? What are you doing man? It's me Dipper." Dipper gasped as he ducked a swipe from the bears claws. The Multi-Bear continued his assault on the young boy, Dipper narrowly evading each rake of claws and bites from its many jaws.

 _I can't fight him, don't have a weapon handy. Plus, he's my friend. I need to make him remember that._ A quick backhand caught him off guard and sent him flying across the cavern floor. _Ok that hurt, a lot. Maybe this isn't the Multi-Bear I know._ Picking himself up wincing at his new bruises, a fire lit in the boy's eyes. Running straight at the massive bear, Dipper slid under another massive swing, jumping into an uppercut on the unprotected main jaw. The great beast reared back on its hind legs stunned from the blow, Dipper charged forward throwing his shoulder into the bears chest. All thoughts of his safety had flown from his mind, he forgot this was a deadly predator not of the natural world, he was just acting on some primal instinct.

The battle raged for over half an hour, each opponent dodging and landing blows seemingly at a standstill. The boy fought like he was possessed rising to his feet no matter the blow dealt to him and the bear stood fast no matter the hits landed on it many heads. Man and beast locked eyes from across the cavern, starting towards each other as one, Dipper leaping into the air, hands locked together in a massive over hand blow. Just as his fists connected with the bears main head, a flash of light filled the cavern.

"ENOUGH. YOU HAVE PASSED YOU TRIAL."

As the lighted faded Dipper was again surrounded by the ghostly figures, the bear nowhere in sight. "Wait, I didn't defeat him. How have I passed?"

"YOU FACED YOUR MARK, URSA MAJOR, THE GREAT BEAR. YOU DID NOT GIVE UP, YOU KEPT FIGHTING WHILE LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION, EVEN WHEN THERE WASN'T ONE. JUST AS STUBBORN AS HE IS."

"But I know the Multi-Bear, why would he fight me at all?"

"PEACE DIPPER PINES, YOUR FRIEND IS WELL. WE ONLY USED HIS ASPECT FOR THIS TRIAL. YOU ARE INDEED WORTHY OF THE NAME 'STAR-CHILD'. MAY DESTINY BE KIND YOUNG ONE. PROTECT THE FOREST, GUARD THE RIFT." The figures began to recede back into the constellations on the cave walls.

"Wait I still have questions! I need to know what I'm supposed to do. Just tell me."

The last wraith passed into the wall, turning its head "SLEEP NOW DIPPER PINES, YOUR JOURNEY IS JUST BEGINNING."

Mabel awoke from a nightmare to the darkness of an unfamiliar room, unable to recognize her surroundings. If not for the gentle whistle from Candy's nose and Grenda's loud snores, the fear would have taken over. She had had a nightmare about her brother fighting some horrible monster and the desire to check that he was still safe in his bed was too great.

 _Guh 3:15 in the morning, yeah Dip has to be out cold._ As quietly as she could she crept her way over her friends and out of her new room. Pausing in the hallway she stared up the stairs to the attic, Dipper's new room. Panic rising in her chest she started up the steps. _What if he's not there, what if it wasn't just a dream, but a vision. Oh god Dippers alone in that cave fighting that horrible creature._

Hand on the doorknob, Mabel knocked softly "Dipper, are you in there?"

She pushed the door open fully expecting her brother to be gone, but there he was, safe. _Ok Mabel, maybe you need to dial back the mabel-juice a little. Your starting to go a little crazy._

"Night Dip." She whispered as she closed the door, making her way back to her bed. _Man what a crazy dream, but it felt so real._ She was asleep before her head touched the pillows.

Manly Dan and Jacob Pines stood beneath a solitary street lamp, its fluorescent glow fighting to keep the darkness at bay.

"SO THE BOY IS STAYING THEN, JACK. WHAT CHANGED YOUR MIND?"

"I can't ignore it anymore, we both knew this day would come eventually, no matter how much I want to fight it; Dipper's place is here."

"AND WHAT OF YOUR DAUGHTER, YOU WOULD LEAVE HER HERE AS WELL?"

"Mabel can take care of herself and Dipper when you get down to it, and the boy will need all the help he can get."

"IT'S UNFORTUNATE IT HAD TO BE NOW. SHE'S COMING BACK, JACK."

Terror filled the eyes of the elder Pines. "You have to keep her away from Dipper, if she gets a hold of him…."

"I KNOW JACK, I HAVE MY OWN TO WATCH OUT FOR TOO. I JUST HOPE THE BOY IS READY. FOR ALL OUR SAKES."

"Just keep an eye on him Daniel. Meredith and I will try to visit as often as we can, but this is Dipper's home now. Goodbye old friend."

The two men clasped hands and started down the street in opposite directions, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

/

/

/

/

/

/

 **The torture doctor is in**

 **Back here to confess his sins**

 **Knowing damn well he was dead wrong**

 **And I can't believe my eyes**

 **Trouble and regret on my mind**

 **I'll let you take the whole thing down brick by brick**

 **Tonight**

 **And there's a devil dancing in my head**

 **As I'm hovering above your bed**

 **Hey, ho, we know how this story goes**

 **Hey, ho, the plot it thickens and grows**

 **Hey, ho, there's nothing left to hide**

 **Hey, ho down here on the south side**

 **I was the worst of my kind**

 **I left my old life behind**

 **Can't believe I got away with it so long**

 **And at the end of the day**

 **There is nothing to say**

 **So tired of being wired wrong**

 **All my life**

 **And there's a devil dancing in my head**

 **As I'm hovering above your bed**

 **Hey, ho, we know how this story goes**

 **Hey, ho, the plot it thickens and grows**

 **Hey, ho, there's nothing left to hide**

 **Hey, ho, down here on the south side**

 **Down on the south side**

 **Hey, ho we know how this story goes**

 **Hey, ho, the plot it thickens and grows**

 **Hey, ho, there's nothing left to hide**

 **Hey, ho, down here on the south side**

 **Down on the south side**

 **Down on the south side**

 ***Alkaline Trio "The Torture Doctor"**

Stay tuned next time for Chapter 5: Bring On The Night

And another chapter done. I wanna thank everyone who stopped to take the time to read this jumble of foolishness I've started. I promise I have much more to go. A special shoutout for: **Dante Watterson, Im So Bored Right Now, NecroticHate, ilikecartoonsandzombies, NyaNyaKittyFace, OswinGaradex, TBR0, Axenite, and Guest reviewers** for my first three chapters. Thanks Guys.

Peace


	5. Bring On The Night

Chapter 5

Bring On The Night

Dawn. The stillness of the morning was shattered as the roar of a lone motorcycle sped down the highway through the trees. The man stared at an approaching billboard ' **Welcome to Gravity Falls.'** _It's been a long time since I've read that._ The bike continued down the road coming upon a broken down sedan, a man frantically trying to flag him down. _Great, now what?_ Slowly the bike came to a rest, the roar of the exhaust fading away. Stretching, the man stood off the machine.

"Hey there, having some car trouble?" Removing his helmet, hey ran a hand through his shaggy gray hair.

"Oh yes thank you ever so much for stopping. The damn thing just cut off on us. I can't for the life of me figure out what's wrong with it." A large pale skinned man stood beside the open hood of the car. On the other side of the vehicle an equally pale skinned woman with raven hair was leaning against the car looking exasperated.

"Well let me take a look at it, I know a little bit about engines." The young man started to poke and prod the various cables and hoses.

"Oh thank you so much, we've been out here all night waiting for someone to show up. And we are so hungry."

 _Hungry? Aw, hell. Really?_ Turning around the young man stared at the changes that had come over the stranded couple. Eyes had turned bright yellow, the skin pulled back on their faces, and large fangs protruded from the mouth.

"Shit. Vampires, really? This was supposed to be a vacation. Great." The man stood cursing the sky, hands raised in exasperation. The vampires stood taken aback, this wasn't the reaction they were expecting. The man turned to them.

"Look is there any way we could not do this? I've had a long drive, and I'm kinda tired. Also I reeeally don't want to get dust all over the place. How 'bout you all go on your merry way, I go mine and nobody gets a stake shoved in their chest tonight. Sound fair?"

The vampires lunged in synch, each going for an opposite side of the man's neck. Quick as lightning a stake appeared in each hand, pulled from under his jacket. It was over almost instantly, the demons' leaps skewering the stakes into their chests. A breeze whisked the ashes away as the man stood there trying to get the remnants of the monsters out of his hair and clothes.

 _Man, not even back in town and the weird hits the fan. Damn. Looks like it's gonna be a working vacation after all. I'm going to have to call this in when I get into town. Let them know I may have a hot spot. Really hope this isn't why Dan gave me a call._ Straddling his bike again, it roared to life, taking him away from the abandoned car and closer to his old hometown.

Wendy Corduroy, groaned in frustration. Not even seven in the morning and some idiot was out revving an engine. _Who the hell gets up this early anyway? Some punk ass kid playing with his new toy probably._ A cry from outside got her attention.

"I'd never thought I'd see the day when a CORDUROY wasn't up with the morning sun."

"Yeah and who the hell wants to start…Uncle Ollie!" Wendy exclaimed her head hanging out her window.

"Hey, there's Pippy. And how's my favorite niece?" The door to the Corduroy cabin burst open as Manly Dan came into the yard.

"LITTLE BROTHER, YOU MADE IT. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AFTER SO LONG." Dan said, wrapping Oliver into a crushing hug.

"Ok Danny, ok I need those ribs. Seriously put me down now. DANNY KNOCK IT OFF!" Oliver managed to wheeze out. As soon as his feet hit the ground Oliver was tackled by three flying boys all intent on taking their uncle to the ground. "Alright, enough, ENOUGH, geez my throat is gonna kill me if I keep having to yell at you kids."

Shoving the brothers off him, Oliver barely had time to register the fist making its way toward his midsection. "Oof…well it looks like you learned to throw a punch, huh Pippy?" He stood slowly, massaging his tender stomach.

"Don't call me Pippy." Wendy seethed, turning and walking back inside.

"HAHA, SHE GOT YOU LITTLE BROTHER. I REALLY DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE YOU UNTIL TOMORROW. WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE FOR THE DAY. THINK YOU'LL BE ALRIGHT BY YOURSELF."

"Jesus, Danny I'm 33 years old. I think I can handle running around town all day by myself. Unless you called me here for a more specific reason. Maybe a weird reason?" Oliver asked his older brother, trying to see if he knew about the trouble he had coming into town.

"IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE YOU WERE BACK OLLIE, I JUST THOUGHT YOU MIGHT TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME WITH FAMILY. SEE SOME OLD FRIENDS. HAVE A VACATION FOR ONCE no weirdness involved." Dan's voice dropping low.

"In this town, yeah right Danny. Maybe you're right, I think I'll ride around town today. See what kind of trouble I can stir up." Oliver smiled up at his brother, a look of mischief across his face. Wendy stormed back out of the house, large towel over her shoulder.

"Dad I'll be at the pool with the girls today. I should be home before it gets too late." Giving her uncle an evil look, she aimed another shot at his stomach, before taking off into town.

Dipper Pines awoke from a deep sleep feeling refreshed. It had been about two weeks since his parents had surprised him with the information that he and his twin sister Mabel would be staying in Gravity Falls permanently. _It's also been two weeks since that night in the caves. I still have no clue what they were talking about, only that I have a Destiny. It still doesn't feel real. I woke up back here in bed—did it really happen, or was it some crazy kind of dream?_

A shout from downstairs drew him from his thoughts.

"Dipstick, breakfast! Come get it." His sister called to him from downstairs. Not bothering to get dressed Dipper wandered downstairs in grungy shirt and shorts.

"Morning." He grunted helping himself to a bowl of cereal.

"So Dip, what ya got planned for today? Me, and the girls are gonna hit the pool. Get a little sun, scope out the cute boys. Fun times for all."

"Yeah, that sounds fun. You, Candy and Grenda have a good time."

"Oh we will, but it's just me Pacifica, Tambry and Wendy that are going."

"Wait, Wendy's going? I guess I could do the pool today."

"No can do bro-bro. Girls only today." Mabel said, teasing her brother.

"Fine, just try to keep Pacifica and Wendy from killing each other. I really don't know why those two have been going at it more than normal."

Mabel stared at her brother disbelief in her eyes. _He really is clueless sometimes. Maybe I should at least give him a little hint._ "Well since you're up, Ford and Stan are up at the shack helping Soos. So I'm heading out, and don't worry bro. I'll keep your girlfriends from bickering too much. Bye." She said turning to walk to leave.

"Thanks Mabel I appre….wait girlfriends….what are you talking about?" But Mabel was already gone. _Might as well go see what's going on at the shack._ Thought Dipper as he went upstairs to get dressed.

Dipper sat on the front steps of the Mystery Shack listening to his great uncles arguing inside. _It's just some old junk. Do they really have to fight about everything? I don't know how Soos doesn't go crazy._

"What's up little dude? Haven't seen you up here that much since ya came back. You trying to avoid old Soos?" His large friend chuckled from behind him.

"No Soos, it's not like that man, I just figured you'd be too busy, what with the repairs and Stan and Ford hanging around. Plus, I know you're running the place now."

"Yeah dude I am super busy, but that don't mean I can't make time for my little dudes."

"Awesome Soos; next adventure we find, you definitely need to be there."

"Consider it done, bro."

The volume from inside the shack hit a new high, the older twins voices now accompanied by the sound of boxes being tossed against walls.

"Uh..I may need to get back in there Dipper dude, good talking to yah." Soos disappeared back inside as the sound of a vehicle pulled into the parking lot. _Woah, don't see many bikers come up this way. That bike looks really cool, gotta be custom. And that dude seems so chill, not at all like a hardcore biker._

"Sup, dude. Hey you know if old man Pines is still running this place? I've got some unfinished business with him." _That doesn't sound ominous at all._

"Uh yeah, my Grunkle Stan is inside right now."

"Heh, grunkle, so old man Pines is your great uncle, huh?"

"Well yeah, but how did you know what grunkle meant."

"Kid if you've ever had to listen to a valley girl talk…" a shudder coursed through the man's body. "You learn to decipher words pretty quick. Now if you'll excuse me I think I'll go see your grunkle." The man walked past Dipper into the Mystery Shack. _Huh, not what I expected._

The door to the shack was thrown open as the man who had just entered it tumbled back outside. Stan stood in the doorway, a scowl on his face.

"Well, well if it isn't little Ollie Corduroy. Thought I told you to keep your punk ass off my property."

"Aw, come on Stan, it was a joke! Even you were laughing about the itching powder later."

"You show up here, after all these years, and expect everything to just be peachy. I mean you didn't even bring a peace offer…" Stan cut himself off staring at the dark green bottle Oliver was holding.

"25-year-old Irish whiskey. I didn't forget old man. You just had to hit me with a right hook before you got it." A smile stretched over Stan's face mirroring the one on Oliver's.

"Heh, welcome home kid. Now how bout we all go find a couple of glasses to toast your homecoming." Picking himself of the ground Oliver reentered the shack flashing Dipper a grin as he went. _Who was that guy? Stan said Corduroy— maybe he's a cousin of Wendy's. Oh well, looks like they are gonna be occupied for a while. Might as well go for a walk._

The heat had already begun to fill the morning air. Barely a cloud could be seen in the sky. The four girls all sat in reclining chairs, relaxing by the pool.

"Hey Corduroy, aren't you worried about bursting into flames if you get to much sun?" Pacifica sneered at the lanky red head.

"I'd be more worried about that bad dye job turning green in the pool if I was you Northwest." Wendy shot back at the younger blonde.

 _Ok maybe this was a bad idea._ Mabel thought. _They have been at each other's throats for two hours._

"Guys, can't you please stop fighting? You're starting to kill the good times."

"Status update. Catfight has reached critical levels. Just wish they would get it over with already." Mabel turned and looked at Tambry.

"What do you mean get it over with, you really want to see them fight?"

"No I just want them to admit to why they're fighting so they can start to get over it."

"Ohhh, yeah that makes more sense."

"Admit to what, that I know the blonde skank is just trying to steal Dipper from me?" Wendy shouted pointing an accusing finger at Pacifica. Pacifica just smiled coldly.

"Please, I won't need to steal him away. He'll coming running after you screw this relationship up just like all your other ones."

Tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes, Wendy fled, trying to outrun Pacifica's hurtful words. _Calm down girl, this time its different right. You actually really like him. Right? It wasn't just that you missed hanging out, it was him right?_ Doubt began to creep into Wendy's mind. _Crap maybe Pacifica's right. I rushed into this just cause I wanted to see him._ Tears continued to blur her fall blurring her vision. _No. No that's not it. Dipper's one of a kind, he's smart, and funny, and he is always so sweet. You made your mind up about this ages ago. Pacifica's just trying to play mind games._

So lost in thoughts and tears, Wendy didn't notice the boy in front of her until it was too late. They ended up sprawled on the concrete. "Hey watch where you're going. Not that I'm complaining about the view."

Wendy quickly tried to get up but ended up slipping and falling back onto the boy. _Real smooth, Corduroy. You were too busy crying and ran into...a major hottie…wow._

"Do you think you could let me up now or did you plan on lying on me all day?" The mysterious youth asked.

"So sorry dude, yeah let me just, yeah ok I'm up." Red faced, Wendy clumsily stood, as the boy rose to his feet in one fluid motion.

"So I um, haven't seen you around before" Wendy commented, her eyes wandering over the teen's pale, but muscular chest, and up to his face. "Are you visiting someone for the summer?"

"No my family just moved here from Santa Carla, California," he said, his steel-gray eyes seeming to pierce her soul. "What's your name, beautiful?"

 _Normally I'd totally bash on a guy for calling me "beautiful," because I have a… boyfriend… Dip… boy… Dang he is hot. He could call me anything he wants._

"Hello? Earth to red? What's your name?"

"Anything you wan—WENDY. Wendy Corduroy."

"Nice to meet you, Wendy Corduroy. I'm Charley Danderidge," he murmured, holding his hand out. Wendy shook it, the feeling of electricity buzzing through her body as their skin touched.

"And who are these lovely ladies behind you?" asked Charley, a grin forming on his perfect mouth.

"What?" Wendy quickly turned around. Mabel and Pacifica were standing there, staring in awe at the handsome teen. Tambry, as usual, was a few yards away, fiddling with her phone.

"Hi Wendy! Who is this guy who isn't your boyfriend and is potentially available and I'll be dreaming about tonight?" Mabel questioned, beaming widely at Charley, although addressing her friend.

"Oh, he's—"

"HI! I'm Pacifica, and I'm single, and not a lumberjane," Pacifica interrupted, tossing her hair and batting her eyelashes at the boy.

"Wow," Charley said, smiling playfully, glancing at Mabel and Pacifica, and letting his eyes linger on Wendy. "Nobody told me that all the girls in Gravity Falls were supermodel gorgeous!"

Mabel reached out boldly and grabbed his hand.

"C'mon, let's ditch these chicks and I'll show you where the real action happens around here!"

"What?! No way, I know MUCH cooler places to hang out than you, Pines! You probably want to drag him back to that crusty old shack with all your uncle's weird junk," pouted Pacifica.

While the two younger teens argued back and forth, Charley (still attached to a clinging Mabel) reached out with his other hand and caressed Wendy's copper hair.

"You know," he murmured in her ear, sending chills down her spine, "we can humor your little friends, but I'd rather go somewhere with you. You're different…special."

Wendy's heart was pounding in her ears, her face the color of a ripe tomato. _I know I shouldn't go off with him… he's… there's a reason. A boy… Pines…_ She felt like she was melting from the heat in his steel gray eyes.

"You are meant to be with me, Wendy Corduroy. Come with me now, bring your friends. There is so much I can show you…amazing things."

"I..." Wendy faltered. _I shouldn't. I sh… I should. I need to. I need to be his._

"Mabel, Pacifica, dudes, quit arguing. You're going to make a bad impression on Charley. C'mon, let's get out of here." Wendy grasped Charley's hand as the four made their way away from the pool.

"Great," said Charley with a toothy grin. "I know this cool place across town…"

Tambry watched as her friends were practically drooling over the same guy. She sat forgotten as they passed her. Silently she snapped a photo. _OMG What the hell was that…poor Dipper, this is gonna crush the little guy._ Tambry quickly left the pool and went looking for her young friend.

The noon sun cast its bright rays through the canopy of trees, sunbeams contrasting to the dark shade, the sleepy pond as still as always. _I keep being drawn back here. It helps me think, I guess. The quiet, the solitude of this place._ Dipper thought as he pushed through the forest bringing the pond into full view. The wisp was already floating on the surface, as if it knew he was coming.

"Ah, welcome back 'Star-Child'. It has been a little while since we have spoken. Did you find your answers?"

"No. I mean not really. I don't know. I guess I'm still looking."

"It is often that the journey itself is the destination."

"Um...ok...I guess."

"I am sorry that I can't be of more help on this matter. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Well, is anything interesting happening in the forest right now?"

"The night has come to town again. Guard well your friends, Dipper Pines."

"But what is the night? Can't you just give me one straight answer?"

"Woah kid, you know talking to yourself is a sign of going crazy right?" A voice called to him crashing through the under growth. Dipper turned to see Oliver Corduroy coming up behind him laconic smirk on his face. _This guy again, what's his deal anyway._

"Hey, kid you ok?" fingers snapping under his nose.

"Wha...oh yeah sorry just lost in thought for a second."

"So who were ya talking to?" the older man asked, looking around.

"I was just talking to… myself. Nobody's out here but me."

"If you say so man. Look I guess we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Oliver Corduroy." He said extending his hand.

"Dipper Pines. So are you Wendy's cousin or…" he left the question open.

"So you know Wendy huh? I'm her uncle, Dan is my older brother." Dipper stared in amazement.

"Wow, sorry it's just you don't look...or sound anything like Manly Dan."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Oliver joked.

"I didn't mean uh..."

"Relax dude. I get it, nothing I haven't heard before." Oliver walked over to the water's edge, kneeling down. "Man, it's been a while since I've been back here. Did you know that this pond used to house a nature spirit back in the day?"

Dipper's jaw dropped.

"You know about the wisp."

"So that's who you were talking to. Dipper, I grew up here remember. Tell ya what, how about you show me what's good in town to eat and I'll tell ya some stories about this place when I was your age. Deal?"

"Deal. Hope you like cheeseburgers. Best in town." Dipper took off back towards the shack eager to finally have some questions answered.

Greasy's Diner was the best place to go for any kind of food in gravity falls, particularly the unhealthy kind. Dipper loved the place.

"Hey there, Dipper. You want your usual, hon'?" Lazy Susan asked from behind the counter. Dipper nodded.

"That would be great Susan, Thanks."

"And what can I get for your new friend here?" Oliver sat down on a stool in the middle of the counter.

"Well I think a double bacon cheeseburger, large chili fries, and a strawberry shake would do me just fine, Suz." Lazily Susan lifted the eyelid on her lazy eye wanting to get a better look at the young man.

"Well I'll be. If it isn't trouble himself. I thought that order sounded familiar. I'll get that right out to you boys."

Once again Dipper just stared at the older man. _This guy is full of surprises, and he's nothing like the rest of his family. He's actually pretty cool._

"Ok so first off, what's the weirdest thing you've ever seen in the forest?" asked Oliver, picking up the conversation.

"Got to be the Manotaurs. They're just so annoying."

"Oh man, I haven't even thought about those guys in so long. Dan was always trying to sneak off to see them."

"Wait...Dan knows about the stuff in the woods?"

"Heh, kid you live in Gravity Falls long enough you learn two things: One, the woods are full of weird. Two, don't go talking about the weird. Kids see it more than adults, the adults just try to rationalize it or forget."

"Yeah, that does explain a lot though. Ok, so what's the scariest thing you ever had to deal with?"

"The scariest? Well I gotta say.."

"Here you boys go. Enjoy." Lazy Susan said depositing two identical plates of food on the table, the only difference being a strawberry shake for Oliver and a chocolate for Dipper. The two looked at the food, looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Tambry came rushing into the diner, a worried look on her face.

"Oh thank god I found you. You need to come quick. Something is wrong with Wendy and the girls. Look at this." She held her phone out to him: a picture of Wendy, Mabel and Pacifica with their backs to the camera. Wendy and Mabel looked like they were holding someone's hands but nobody was in the photo.

"Um…was there supposed to be something there?"

"Dipper how can you not see the guy…wait he's gone? Why's he not in the photo?" Tambry looked at her phone questioning.

"Hey do you mind if I see that?" Taking the phone Oliver studied the picture intently. _Oh shit…if it's out in broad daylight, this thing is no joke. And it's got Wendy, and two more of his friends…great._ Dipper watched as Oliver's expression darkened as he stared at the screen.

Turning to Tambry, Oliver asked "Which direction did they go?"

"I think they were heading to the far side of town, but it's just a bunch of warehouses over there."

His attention fully on Tambry: "Was this guy doing anything weird or out of the ordinary?"

"Well yeah, he was like super creepy. He kept flirting with all the girls, especially Wendy." At this Dipper's attention was now fully on the conversation.

"He was doing WHAT!?"

"Well yeah, that's why I came to find you, he had the girls like practically eating out of his hand." Oliver could see the anger rising in his new young friend. _Got to play this cool. Don't need these kids freaking out._

"So the guy's a charmer, is it really that big a deal? It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything."

"Um...old dude I don't know…that's kinda why this is a big deal. That's her boyfriend." Tambry pointed at Dipper.

 _And…damn it. Well, the kid knows his stuff. Let's see how he handles this._

Dipper sat trying to process the entire conversation. _Ok, so what the heck? Wendy starts flirting with some guy she doesn't even know, and takes Pacifica and Mabel along for the ride. This doesn't make any sense. I mean, why was Wendy flirting in the first place? Am I just some kind of fling to her...gahh this is gonna drive me crazy._

"Hey, earth to Dipper, you ok in there little dude?"

"Huh? Oh yeah...I guess. I think I'm gonna go try to find the girls. See what's going on." Dipper pushed out the door to the diner letting the warm air clear his thoughts. _Ok, ok don't freak out Dipper. There is a perfectly rational explanation for this._

"Hey kid, sorry about the girlfriend thing. I didn't know you two were together."

"Yeah we just started dat…dating." Dipper replied, his worry growing. Taking off his cap, he ran his fingers through his hair with a frustrated sigh. Oliver's eyes fell on Dippers birthmark. _I'll be damned. Ok, screw it._

"So why do you think the dude didn't show up in the picture?"

"Huh, I don't know could just be the girls pulling a prank."

"Or maybe the dude is just a little…weird." Oliver said trying to get Dipper to put the pieces together himself.

"Weird…what doesn't show up on pictures." A wild thought occurred to Dipper.

"Hey Tambry, was this guy at the pool?" Dipper called out the teen as she was leaving.

"Yeah Dip, it was really weird, he never left the shade of the building. Like he had super sensitive skin or something."

And it clicked together. _My girlfriend was flirting with a vampire. And now he's got Wendy, my sister, and Pacifica who-knows-where, ready to drain them dry...or worse._ The fear became apparent on Dippers face. Oliver sighed.

"You asked what the scariest thing was that I ever had to deal with…I think you know the answer to that question now."

"Please tell me you're kidding. Please tell me that it's not..."

"Yeah…vampires. Enough of this. We need to find those girls now. You with me kid?"

"Yeah but, how are we gonna stop him?"

"Heh, when it comes to the undead, kid, I always come prepared." Opening a compartment on his bike Oliver withdrew a few wooden stakes, several small vials, and a large heavy crucifix.

"So you just always carry this stuff around?" Dipper asked picking up one of the vials.

"Kid, it's a long story and if we get out of this ok I swear I'll tell it to ya, but right now we need to move. Hop on." Dipper climbed on to the back of the bike. With a deafening roar it launched down the street.

"So what's the plan?" Dipper asked over the scream of the wind.

"Plan is simple. Find monster. Kill monster. Save girls. Don't get bit."

"Great, why didn't I think of that?"

It only took a few minutes for the pair to cross the small town and start looking for the warehouse that was the vampires nest. Stopping, Oliver cut the engine of the motorcycle. The silence was palpable.

"That's the one. The building there with its windows painted black."

As quietly as they could, they entered the abandoned building, slowly searching the rooms and hallways for their friends. _Please let them be ok. I don't think I could bear it if my friends got hurt. I'm supposed to protect them...aren't I? Unless I just really suck at my Destiny. Gahhh stop it Dipper, focus. You're hunting vampires. And that's terrifying._

A large metal door stood before the pair.

"Last one…You ready Dipper?"

"Yyyeh...not really."

"Good." Oliver shoved the door open, rusted hinges screaming in protest. They found themselves in a large room, Dipper could see Wendy, Mabel and Pacifica tied up in the corner. He started to run to them when a hand blocked his way.

"Wait. They are here. In the shadows, waiting for you to make a mistake, become the easy meal."

Slowly Oliver walked towards the center of the room, Dipper shuffling close behind him. Six figures stepped out of the shadows. Dipper stared at the horrible sight—six vampires. Six _real_ vampires all looking at him, eyes hungry for his blood, lips pulled back to reveal razor sharp fangs. They started to move again when Oliver threw up his hands.

"Stop! Just stop a second, ok? How about a trade—me for the kids. Think about it, it's a good deal. I mean I'm like three times their size, so much more blood for you to drink. You let the kids go, I won't even fight—as long as they get out safe."

"Oliver, what the hell are you doing? This wasn't the plan. _Not_ getting bit was the plan!" Dipper whispered at his side, growing more nervous in the presence of the six vampires.

"I got to make sure you guys are safe, little dude."

" _Why should we listen to you, vermin? You can't stop all of us."_

"But I can stop most of you. IF these kids get out of here alive, you all get to live. One-time offer."

" _We find your terms acceptable human; the children may leave but we feast on your flesh."_

"Go on Dipper, get the girls out of here. And don't try coming back after me. I mean it. Go!"

Rushing to Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica, he untied the rope binding them together. "Come on, we gotta go now!" Pulling them after him, they ran from the room.

"Uncle Ollie, NOOOOO!" a cry of anguish escaped Wendy as she was dragged from the room. Dipper cast one final look over his shoulder as the vampires all fell on the man, hunger in their eyes. Not fifteen feet down the hallway, the screams made Dipper stop. _I have to help. I've got to do something._

"Mabel get them out of here. I'll be right behind you." Dipper turned and ran back towards the intense screams.

"Oliver hang on I'm coming…What the hell?" Dipper exclaimed, bursting back into the room. Six figures slowly dissolved into ash and smoke, and there in the center knelt Oliver, clothing torn and covered in blood from multiple bite marks, but alive.

"Ah gods, that freaking hurts. I'm getting too old for this bullshit. Don't just stand there, Dipper, come help me up." Dipper rushed over to the bloodied man.

"But, but how? What did you do?! They're all dust and you're still alive?" Dipper asked, flustered. He had fully expected the man to be in much worse shape.

"Heh, a magician never reveals all his secrets." Those were the last words Oliver mumbled before slipping into unconsciousness. With a lot of effort, Dipper managed to drag the older man's body to the front of the warehouse.

"Mabel call an ambulance, Oliver's hurt pretty bad and I think Pacifica's in shock. Are you ok?"

"Already on its way bro. Yeah, I've been better but I guess I'll live—although I _am_ kind of disappointed that they didn't sparkle," Mabel replied, as she slipped a cell phone into her pocket.

Wendy had taken her uncle's body from Dipper, holding him in her arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Wendy. Come to me. Join me forever." A voice called from the darkness of the warehouse. Wendy's head jerk up, eyes wide and blank, smile on her face. "Yes…I'm coming...my love." Letting Oliver's body slip from her arms she ran back to the warehouse.

Hate coursed through Dipper as his vision went red. He started after her but a hand on his arm stopped him. Barely conscious Oliver had raised himself to stop him.

"Dipper, take these. Just trust your instincts. You can do this." A small knife, a vial of clear liquid, and small old revolver. "Now go get her, and kill that son of a …." Oliver slipped away, releasing his hold on Dipper.

Time seemed to stand still as Dipper rushed into the vampires' lair. And there they stood. The monster holding her close to him smile on his face as he went for her neck.

"LET HER GO!" Dipper cried.

"So, they send a boy to do a man's job. Run home boy, she's mine now. Mine forever." The vampire ran a nail along its arm, letting its thick blood flow. Putting it to Wendy's lips, she drank greedily.

"Wendy…" Dipper whispered the last traces of hope leaving him.

"You see. You can't stop it. She's chosen me. This is your last chance to leave before I get hungry, boy."

Dipper could feel a familiar fire rising in him. _Just like in the caves…I know what I need to do. I just hope Oliver's as crazy as I think he is._ A flash of steel, a wince of pain, and the blood began to flow from his hand. The vampire's eyes went red as his visage shifted to a true creature of the night.

"Now that I have your attention, put her down and COME AND GET ME YOU BLOODSUCKING FREAK!"

The smell of fresh blood was too much and the beast charged Dipper. Revolver leveled, five shots split the air, all piercing the monster's chest. "FOOL, BULLETS MAY HURT, BUT THEY CAN'T…THEY CAN'T kill me…what did you…how?"

The vampire slowly began to dissolve into fire and ash. Dipper flipped open the chamber, withdrawing the last round, holding it so that the creature could see with its final breath of unlife.

"Wooden Bullets." _Thank god._

An unearthly wail tore through the room, as Wendy desperately clawed at the ashes of the vampire. _Now for the hard part._ Dipper approached Wendy the small vial in his hands.

"You killed him, how could you do that?! We were going to be together forever. And you ruined it. I hate you."

"Wendy you need to drink this. It'll make everything better, I promise." Tears started to form in Dipper's eyes.

"No…just leave Dipper. Just leave me alone."

Dipper moved closer to her.

"Come on Wendy. It'll fix you up." _I hope._ "If you drink it…I'll go…you won't have to see me again."

Snatching the bottle from his hands, she snarled. "Good."

She drained the bottle in one swallow and started to wretch. Ash and embers poured from her mouth as the holy water attacked the blood in her stomach. Dipper stood over the girl he loved as the sound of sirens filled the air.

Oliver sat resting in his hospital room staring at his brother.

"You have to tell him Danny, or I will."

"OLIVER YOU CAN'T. IT'S NOT YOUR PLACE TO."

"You know what, screw that Dan! That is such bullshit. You and Jack might be honor bound in this foolishness, but that is a thirteen-year-old kid you are talking about. I'm not gonna live through this scenario again."

"OLLIE, DIPPER WILL LEARN IN TIME. YOU CAN'T RUSH IT."

"For the last time Dan, bullshit. I'm gonna tell the kid what he needs to know, and I'll go you one better—I'm gonna stay. Yeah that's right Danny-boy, I'm gonna make sure that kid survives all this. Hell, I'll train him myself if I have to."

"YOU CAN'T…IT'S NOT THE WAY IT'S DONE…"

Oliver sighed letting the weariness settle on him, seeming far older than his years. "Daniel if you think I'm just going to watch another teenager give themselves over to 'Destiny' without doing everything in my power to help, you are a fucking idiot."

Pulling Oliver out of his hospital bed, Manly Dan slammed him into the wall. "YOU WILL DO NOTHING. YOU MUST NOT INTERFERE."

Oliver winced but held his gaze "Fine then Daniel, have it your way. I'll just have to tell Wendy about her mom. She doesn't know what really happened to Jessica, now does she?"

Manly Dan paled and lowered Oliver back into his bed. "YOU...YOU WOULDN'T. PLEASE OLIVER, IT WOULD CRUSH HER."

"Then we are in agreement: I start training the boy as soon as I leave the hospital."

Dan glared down at his brother. "YOU ALWAYS WERE A MANIPULATIVE LITTLE BASTARD. FINE ON YOUR HEAD HANG THE CONSEQUENCES."

Dipper slowly pushed to door to Oliver's room open. His friend looked like he was sleeping peacefully. _Maybe I should just come back later, I don't want to disturb him._

"Dipper, are you going to come in or not?" Oliver spoke without opening his eyes.

"Yeah, I just wanted to see how you were holding up." Dipper spoke softly, coming to sit in a chair by the bed.

"Eh, not too bad all things considered. It's mostly cuts and bruises. The biggest thing was the blood loss."

Dipper nodded, lost in deep thought.

"You got something on your mind kid? Spit it out. I'll tell ya straight."

"Just who the hell are you anyway? You show up here, some kind of expert on vampires, you know what the hell this town is really like, and you do it all with this laid back attitude. It seems like every time I get an answer; someone starts throwing more questions in my face. I want to know what the hell is going on." Dipper raged against the older man. Oliver chuckled at his outrage.

"Alright, easy kid. Calm down. I told you I'll be straight with you. So you know this town is weirdsvillle central, right. That isn't to say this shit doesn't happen out in the rest of the world. It just happens a lot more here with a bunch of different stuff. So yeah, vampires...that's a bit of a long story…"

"Tell me. Everything."

"Kid I've been dealing with this shit since I was 10. I grew up in this town, after all. Ran off when I was 17. I just needed to get away from it, ya know? Live a normal life. Wound up in L.A. and found out that the monsters I left under the bed were nothing compared to the ones in the big city. Fucking vampires, man. So yeah, long story short. They turned my best friend, I met a smoking hot blonde who was supposed to save the world, we burned down a high school gym, killed the bad guys, I lost the girl, and have been doing this ever since."

"Wow. That's pretty...that's pretty intense."

"You asked. So you gonna tell me about that birthmark?"

Instinctively Dipper flattened his hair down. "It's just some weird thing ya know…just unlucky I guess."

"Bullshit Dipper." Oliver looked at the boy with knowing eyes. "I thought we agreed on a little honesty."

"How did…I…Fine apparently this thing means I have some kind of destiny, that I'm supposed to protect the town somehow. That I'm a..."

"Star-Child." Oliver completed Dipper's sentence a smirk on his face.

"How do you…seriously how the hell do you know all this stuff? Just what is a Star-child anyway? Like, nobody wants to tell me just what the hell I'm supposed to be. It's really starting to piss me off." Dipper's anger began to rise again.

"Star-Child, Chosen, Guardian, hell man, pick any name you want for it, doesn't really matter. It all means the same shit. Save the world, deal with all kinds of crap you shouldn't have to, try not to die."

"Is there any upside, any benefit to it at all?"

"That I don't know kid, sorry. But if you want I can help you figure it out. Maybe give you a few pointers, keep ya from getting your butt kicked too often."

"You'd stay? You'd help me figure this out?"

"If you want yeah, I can do that. Once I get out of here of course."

"Oh yeah, that would be awesome."

"Alright, so first order of business. What are you gonna say to her Dipper? You need to deal with that now. So go on, she's right down the hall." Dipper's face fell as he thought of Wendy.

"I...I don't even know where to start. What she did…I don't know if I can forgive that. I mean I want to, but I don't know. It hurts."

"I know kid, believe me I know. But if you don't do this now it's only gonna be so much worse when you do." Without another word Dipper left Oliver's room and made his way down the hall to hers.

Wendy sat in the hospital bed, her eyes on the trees outside the window. She heard the door open, and Dipper's soft voice.

"Hey, I think we need to talk." She knew this was coming and had tried to prepare for it.

"Yeah, I guess we do Dipper."

"After today…I just don't think…how could you do this…Why?" He was a jumble of broken thoughts, and she could hear him fighting back the tears.

"I'm sorry Dipper, I…I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"I know…It still doesn't make it ok."

"Just tell me how I can fix this, what can I do to put this right?"

"I don't know that you can. I don't think I can see you for a while. I just need…I just need some time to think." The boy turned to leave when she called to him.

"Dipper…we can…we can still be friends right?"

Heartbreak in his eyes, he softly closed the door behind him.

"Goodbye Wendy."

*

A statuesque woman stood on the cliffs overlooking Gravity Falls, her long raven hair blowing in the breeze. She looked down on the town that had once been her home, hate filling her eyes. Soon all the cards would be played, and her vengeance could begin. They would pay, they would all pay. They had taken five years of her life, five years of banishment from her home. A smile crossed her lips thinking of the havoc she would wreak on all their insignificant lives. _Soon, very soon._ The small birthmark on her back began to glow.

Stay tuned next time for chapter 6: Summerween 2: The Sequeling.

Ok right off the bat….I'm so sorry. I almost hate myself for writing that scene. And I know it probably upset a few people. But it was necessary. I will fix it; it will just take time. I learned angst at the feet of Whedon. Second. To anyone who actually recognizes the character. Yes, it is him. I've always felt that he got the short end of the stick, so I borrowed him for this. NO I'm not making a crossover(no other characters will ever show up, he's only going to be around sparingly.) If I ever find the time I will someday write his story. But that's a long way away. Third. When I started writing this it was just as an outlet that I never expected anybody to read or that it would grow as big as it has so..Thank you to every single person that reads this. It really does mean a lot to me that you take the time to read this mess.

Shout out time thanks again to NyaNyaKittyFace, NecroticHate, Im So Bored Right Now, ilikecartoonsandzombies, Guest, and guest reviewer. Really appreciate the reviews guys keep them coming.

And finally to Geekngroom who somehow takes lines and lines of straight text and edits it into something that's readable. Thank you so much.

Peace


	6. Summerween 2: The Sequeling

" _ **Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something." -The Princess Bride**_

" _ **It comes as no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy." -LIT**_

Chapter 6

Summerween 2: The Sequeling

The sound of heels clicking on cement echoed through the night. A raven haired temptress slowly walked through the silent town.

 _Tomorrow is that silly holiday. Foolish peasants. They want the joys of All Hallows Eve with none of the terror. I think I need to do something about that._ Stopping before a small garden she smiled. _Perfect._

Raising her hand, she let the power course through her, silver light bathing the watermelon patch. The watermelons shrank and twisted on themselves, the bright green skin turning almost black. Cracks began to split the melons surface open, forming cruel misshapen faces.

 _This should make them remember what true fear is about._ She started once more down the street, making her way toward the woods. There was still much to do.

"Dipper…Dipper. Wake up silly. Are you just gonna lie there all day?"

"We…Wendy? What are you doing here?" Dipper asked, sleep still slurring his voice.

"I needed to see you. I missed you…and I was hungry." He felt the teeth on his neck before he could even open his eyes.

"NNNOOOO!"

Dipper sat straight up in bed, breathing hard. _Every night now. Always her._ It had been a week since the vampires had made themselves known. A week since Oliver Corduroy had returned to Gravity Falls. One week since he saw Wendy in the hospital.

 _Wendy…just call her, you idiot. You need to fix this mess._ A soft knock at his door brought him back to reality.

"Dipper, can I come in bro?"

He went over to unlock the door and paused. "It's just you out there, right Mabel? No one is with you?"

"Yeah…It's just me." Dipper turned the lock and pulled the door open for his sister. Mabel went and sat at his desk, while Dipper threw himself back onto his bed.

"What?" he asked, staring straight up at the ceiling.

"Bro, you can't keep hiding here in your room. It's not healthy."

"Says the girl who makes coffee from energy drinks."

"You know what I mean Dip. Wendy's been calling every day. Why don't you wanna talk to her?"

"It's complicated Mabel…I…miss her like crazy, and yeah I know the stuff she said and did wasn't her fault. But that stuff had to come from somewhere, right? Hypnosis or whatever vampires do can be fought. Right? And this stuff keeps happening, like the supernatural stuff goes after her."

"I'm not the one you need to be talking to about all this. And Dipper, you aren't at fault for all the weird stuff that happens. It's not like it's your responsibility to stop it all the time."

 _Yes, it is._ "I know…I'll call her…maybe."

"Good. Now that that's settled, come down stairs so we can work on our costumes. Change that. Go shower and then come downstairs. You stink." Mabel turned and skipped out of his room and back downstairs.

Dipper groaned. He had forgotten all about Summerween. _Wonder what Mabel's going to make me wear this year?_ he thought as he headed toward the bathroom.

"Mabel I'm really not sure I wanna go out tonight. I think I…" Dipper stopped as he walked into the room. Three sets of eyes stared at him. _Nope, back upstairs._ Before he could even turn around Mabel and Pacifica grabbed him and tossed him into a chair.

"What is this? This is more than just about costumes, isn't it?"

"Consider this an intervention, bro."

"Seriously Mabel, can you please not do this…" Dipper struggled to get up.

"Actually Dipper I asked your sister if we could do this."

"Tambry, you too? …Ok, I guess I can understand why you want to be here." Dipper turned his head glaring directly at Pacifica. "But why are you here?"

"I...I was really hateful…it's my fault she ran into that…that thing in the first place. Dipper I'm so sorry." Pacifica explained, her voice straining from trying to hold back tears.

"Dipper, you need to talk to her, like right now…" Tambry was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Dippers eyes went wide, _Don't let it be her, Don't let it be her, Don't…oh thank god._ Pacifica had gone to open the door revealing Oliver.

"Ah...hey Dipper, and all the girls…that always seem to be around Dipper…anyways, you ready to get started?"

Taking the opportunity to slip from his sister's grasp Dipper bolted for the door.

"Bye guys we'll talk about this later," he blurted, slamming the door shut behind him. "You are a life saver. Thanks."

"No worries man. So what exactly did I save you from?" asked Oliver as the pair climbed onto his motorcycle.

"They were staging an intervention, about Wendy."

"Ah yeah, I get it. But don't you want things to get fixed." The bike roared to life, thundering down the street.

"Of course I do; I just need a little time to process…everything." Dipper called over the wind.

"I get it man…just don't let it wait for too long. You never know when it'll be too late." Oliver replied wistfully.

"You speaking from experience?"

Oliver ignored that question. "So training, I thought we could just do some basic stuff today, simple exercises, workout routine, some survival training. I had some friends ship me some books you might like; they should be here in a few days."

"Great. So, um, where exactly are we going?"

"Well it's Summerween, so I thought an abandoned summer camp sounded like just the place."

"You're kidding right? Please say you're kidding," said Dipper, anxiety creeping into his voice.

"Gotcha!" laughed Oliver. "Man you need to relax a little dude. It's just a place in the woods where I used to hang out when I was your age."

"Oh, ok," Dipper sighed, as the wind washed over him, and he lost himself in the speed.

Wendy sat on her bed, staring out the window, eyes red from crying. She wanted to talk to Dipper, but he just wanted to be alone.

 _God I hate that word. I hate alone. I hate being alone…I miss my friends…I miss Dip…I miss mom._ And that started the tears all over again. _I hate this…it's all my fault though…this is the third time somebody messed with my head. And Dipper had to save me. But this is the first time I hurt him…_

Wendy heard her door open behind her, and she tried to stop and silence her sobs. _I don't want them to see me like this._

"WENDY, ARE YOU OK?"

"Dad, could you please not yell right now, please for me?"

"OK SWEE…ok sweetheart. Is this better?"

"Yeah dad, thanks," she said, turning back to the window.

"What happened between you and the boy? I thought everything was going good?"

"It was dad, but then I screwed it up, like always, and now he doesn't want to talk to me."

"Was it really that bad?"

"I…I said some things I didn't mean, horrible things and…and I kinda went off with somebody else..."

"Do you think you can fix it?"

"I don't know…Maybe if he'd talk to me; but like I said dad, he won't."

Manly Dan nodded, taking in everything his daughter had told him.

"Well then Sweetie, if he won't talk to you, then you just need to make him listen. YOU ARE A CORDUROY, WE DON'T BACK DOWN FROM ANYTHING. YOU GO FIND THIS BOY AND YOU MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND. Just try to be easy on him ok?" Wendy's dad gave her a kiss on the forehead, and let himself out of her room.

 _Huh…why didn't I think of that?_ Wendy thought as she started to get dressed. She had a dork to find.

The girls stared, stunned, at the door Dipper had just disappeared through. Mabel was furious.

"Who does he think he is? Just shows up out of nowhere and Dipper runs off. This is just great… _Now_ who's at the door?" Throwing the door wide Mabel yelled "WHAT?!" without even realizing it was Wendy.

"If this is a bad time Mabel, I can come back later dude. You don't have to yell."

"OhMyGoshImsosorryWendycomein." The words flew together. Mabel was so embarrassed.

"It's cool, man. Listen is Dipper around? I really need to talk to him."

"Sorry Wendy, you just missed him." Wendy's gazed flicked around the room looking for the owner of the voice.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?" Pacifica wilted under the wrathful gaze of the redhead.

"Funny. Dipper asked the same thing."

"Tambry…why are you here too?"

"I came over here to try to talk some sense into Dipper, she showed up to apologize for being a total bi—"

"Tambry that's not nice." Mabel chimed in.

"Sorry Mabel…anyway, we were gonna talk to him, when Ollie shows up and Dipper runs out the door."

"Oh…so no Dipper," said Wendy, falling back into a bad mood.

"Oh come on cheer up Wen-Wen, everything will be right as rain in no time. I mean he has to come back at some point. Do you want to hang with us all day? We're even going trick or treating tonight."

"What about her?" Wendy pointed to Pacifica.

Pacifica sighed.

"Enough. I…I'm sorry Wendy. I didn't mean those things I said. I just take it too far sometimes. I know that Dipper likes you…and not me. I'll stop being such a bi…bad person. Ok?"

Wendy just stared, she hadn't expected this from Pacifica at all. Quickly recovering herself, she shrugged.

"Yeah man, we're all good. So what are you guys doing today? Want some company?"

"Well, we still need to finish up our costumes. What did you want to go as?" asked Mabel.

"Woah costumes…um it's been a while since we've done the whole costume thing, right Tambry?" Wendy asked, looking at her friend for support. Tambry just smiled.

"Sorry girl, I'm in for this too. Robbie's gonna flip when he sees me."

"Ok Mabel. I'll leave it in your hands. Just, no vampires." Wendy said, drawing a laugh from her friends.

Dipper and Oliver walked through the forest. Pushing aside a low hanging branch, they came upon a large clearing dominated by the biggest tree Dipper had ever seen.

"Woah. It's huge."

"Yeah, me and Danny and Jac…we all found this place when we were kids. I just hope it's not completely rotten."

"Rotten? It looks perfectly healthy."

Oliver pointed to a lower hanging section of branches. "I hope you're good at climbing."

Dipper struggled up the trunk of the tree, flopping onto a branch out of breath.

"Why...huff…are…we…huff…up…here?"

Oliver chuckled. "Come and see."

Pushing aside a large cluster of leaves, Dipper saw the largest treehouse he had ever seen.

"It took us an entire summer to build…I fell the day we finished. Broke my arm. Man those were some fun days. Well go on kid, check it out."

Dipper hurried into the house hidden in the tree, and his jaw dropped. It was a large open space room, an old couch set against the wall, bookshelves stuck into corners, weights and workout equipment scattered across the floor. Everything had a thick coat of dust and pollen on it.

"Well, kid, what do you think? You think you can make this work for you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dipper asked, puzzled.

"I mean it's your place now. Kinda like a hero's lair. Everybody needs that one place, ya know. I mean, if you want it that is."

"Are you serious? Heck yeah, this is awesome! I can't wait to tell the gang about this."

Oliver smiled, remembering how he and his brother, with their two friends, had built this place. _Those were some good days. I just hope it works out better for this kid than it did for us._ Oliver shook himself out of his reverie.

"Anyway kid, I'm heading back to town for a while I got a few things to do before I leave tomorrow. I'll be back to pick you up in a couple of hours."

"Wait...you're leaving? I thought you said you were going to train me?"

"Easy kid, easy. I just need to swing back into Seattle for a few days. If I'm gonna be spending most of the summer out here, I need to get stuff squared away back home."

"Oh, yeah that makes sense. So what did you want me to do today?"

"Nobody's been out here for years, so you've got some cleaning to do. Other than that relax, make yourself at home, think about how you want to make this place yours. Do whatever man. I'll be back in a few hours." Oliver lifted a panel from the floor, revealing an old rope ladder. Without another word he was gone.

Wendy just stared. There was fabric hanging on every surface. And glitter, so much glitter. "Um…maybe this wasn't a good idea, man." Wendy's reservations rose as Mabel pulled more and more clothes from her closet.

"Nonsense, Wen. When we get done you're going to look fabulous."

"I don't know dude. The whole 'dressing up' thing just isn't me. I don't even dress nice for special occasions."

"Hmmm…ok tough customer…girls, why don't you get changed? Maybe it'll give her some ideas." Both Tambry and Pacifica grabbed clothing bags and left the room.

"What about you Mabel? What are you going as?"

"Well, this is my first year not doing a twin costume with Dipper, so I thought I'd have a little fun. I'll be right back."

Wendy sat looking through the different piles of clothes hoping she could find something to wear. _Hmm…nope way too frilly…wow that's a lot of glitter…Argh this is hopeless. Maybe I should just go back home. Wait…leather…what is this?_ Wendy pulled a black leather mini-dress from the bottom of a stack of outfits. _Why does Mabel even have this?_ Wendy heard the door open behind her.

"Mabel, where did you get…Dipper?! When did you get back?"

"Ha! It's-a me, Mabel!" She was a more feminine version of her brother, wearing his clothes, with her hair tucked up in a blue and white baseball cap.

Wendy felt her cheeks turn red at the prank. "This is your idea of a costume?"

"I spent all my time getting everyone else's costumes together, so I didn't have time for something elaborate. Plus, think of all the trouble I can get Dipper into," Mabel said with a giggle, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Can't you wear something else? This is a little creepy."

"Fine…" Mabel said with a pout. "I'll go change."

 _Now back to this dress…what to go with it? Fishnets…Ok seriously why does Mabel have this stuff?_ Wendy saw a witches' hat perched in the closet. _Perfect. Now to go change._

"Come on Wendy, are you ever gonna come out of there? Just let us see how it looks," called Mabel, through the door.

"NO, this was a horrible idea."

"Really Wendy, are you that scared of clothes? I even put my phone away, so no pictures. Now come on out."

"Seriously Mabel, why do you have these clothes? Like, a leather mini-dress and fishnets, what's that about? They are so not appropriate, even if _I_ was to wear them."

"Ugh, when did you become my mother? I was going to make a leather jacket for Waddles, plus it was on sale. Now get out here."

"Fine, but I'm not leaving the house like this." Wendy stepped out of the bathroom, face bright red. She kept trying to tug her dress down just a little bit lower.

"OH!"

"MY!"

"GOD!"

"I'm gonna change." Wendy tried to turn back into the bathroom but felt a set of hands on her shoulders.

"My brother is going to flip when he sees you. Come on Wen-Wen, you don't look any worse than the rest of us."

Tambry was dressed as an 80's glam rocker; purple leopard-print tights, a bright blue tank top torn in a dozen places, a short denim vest, and tall combat heels. She had traded in her subtle eyeliner for a bright blue and purple star over one eye. Her normally straight black hair was now a mess of teased out curls. Pacifica was wearing a small black leotard, a long black tail coming from the back. Her wrists and ankles were covered in heavy bracelets wrapped in thick fur, giving the illusion of paws. A simple black headband kept two ears perched in her long blonde hair. Mabel had decided to go all out since, she couldn't prank people dressed as her brother. Her hair was done up in an elaborate bun. She was wearing a long, flowing, red princess dress with golden trim.

Mabel seemed to radiate confidence, making Wendy feel slightly more at ease. "See it's supposed to be fun."

A small smile formed on Wendy's lips.

"Now what are we going to do with ourselves tonight?" asked Mabel, glancing at Pacifica's curve-hugging, skin-tight leotard, and Wendy's risqué leather dress. "I guess trick or treating is out. Oh lawdy, think of the children!" she drawled, dramatically shielding her face.

"We could throw a party here; your great uncles never seem to be home," Tambry suggested, pulling out her phone to start snapping photos.

"Oh! There's that lame dance at the high school, we can go show off there," Pacifica chimed in.

 _Dancing with Dipper...hmm._ "Yeah that actually sounds kinda fun." Wendy perked up as she thought about the idea more and more.

"Ok then, the gym it is. Tambry, you let the guys know to meet us there tonight. And they better be dressed up too," commanded Mabel.

"Already on it."

"Umm I hate to be the one to point this out, but there is still the matter of not knowing where Dipper is," Pacifica said in a soft voice, not wanting to upset Wendy again.

 _Aww crap. Where is Dipper? Tambry said Ollie came and got him._ Wendy snatched Tambry's phone.

"Hey!"

"Sorry I don't have mine on me and I need to find Dip." **Ollie** **Come Back to the house you Picked Dipper up at Need to Speak to you Asap -Wen**

Oliver stared at his phone. _This isn't going to end well for me, I can feel it._ Restarting his bike; he guided it through the streets at a sluggish pace, trying to delay the inevitable fight. As he pulled up to the house he saw the curtains flutter. _And they're waiting for me…terrific._ Heaving a sigh, he started up the walkway to the door. Before he could even knock it was jerked open.

"Where is he?" There stood his niece, anger building in her eyes.

"Snkk…does your father know you leave the house dressed like that?"

Wendy's face began to redden. "Don't change the subject, where is Dipper?"

"Easy Pippy. The kid's just taking a day to himself, a nice quiet day, no interruptions."

"But…I need to talk to him. Come on Uncle Ollie." Wendy pleaded with her uncle, switching tactics.

"Sorry kiddo, not gonna happen. As much as I disagree with him, it's Dipper's decision."

"You're so not fair."

"That's life kiddo. I was a little worried; I come over here and you got that whole anger thing going on—but you crumpled too quick. Guess you really are just all bark no bite."

At the word bite, all Wendy's anger came rushing back. Her fist was flying before she could even think, right into Oliver's eye.

"Oww, sweet Jesus you hit like a truck."

Wendy grabbed Oliver by the collar and leaned in close.

"My boyfriend is to be waiting on us at the gym by 6, in costume, or else a black eye will be the least of your worries."

Oliver started to laugh. "Yeah, ok, I get it. 6 o'clock, costume. He'll be there. You really do have your dad's temper." Oliver turned back down the sidewalk to his bike, rubbing his swollen eye. _OK, looks like I've got a few more errands to run._

The roars and cries woke Dipper with a start, so much so that he fell off the couch. He had fallen asleep looking through an old book he had found on the shelves. _Uh, that was a rude awakening. At least it wasn't a nightmare. Now what is that noise?_ Dipper made his way over to the trapdoor and climbed down into the forest. _It's coming from over there. Sounds like…voices._

Dipper hurried toward the commotion. He came upon the source of the noise suddenly. A variety of the mystical creatures from the woods sat gathered around a large flat boulder. _It's like some kind of council meeting._ Everyone kept shouting and yelling, so much that they hadn't noticed the small teen approach. _I see the Manotaurs, gnomes, Multi-Bear is here, pixies or fairies…I guess, and those are…wolves really big wolves._

"The town is in danger; we must do something." Multi-Bear pleaded.

"Ha! Let Those Weaklings Deal With It Themselves!" a Manotaur shouted.

"Hey, this problem concerns all of us, we've got to work together in this."

"Shmebulock!"

"Maybe we should see why this boy has wandered into our council?" growled one of the wolves, raising a paw toward Dipper. All eyes locked onto Dipper.

"Umm…Hi?" Dipper waved sheepishly.

"Dipper Pines, old friend it is good to see you," said Multi-Bear kindly, "but you should not be here. An old evil has returned to the forest…"

"And It's No Place For A Weakling Like You Destructaur!"

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Dipper, confusion written on his face. "Why can't I help? You've never turned down my help before."

"Whelp, we are dealing with ancient magics that have been a part of these woods since time began. What could you do?" The wolf looked directly into Dipper's eyes, his lip pulled over his teeth in a snarl.

Dipper tossed his hat on the table and pulled his hair back, revealing his birthmark.

"I don't know, you tell me," he said, defiance in his eyes as he looked around at all the creatures of the forest.

"Friend Dipper, you never told me you bore this mark. You have as much right to be here as the rest of us," said Multi-Bear, bowing his heads.

"It was always just a birthmark; how do you think I got my name? I didn't know about its other meaning till a few weeks ago. So what can I do to help?"

"No offense kid, but this may be out of your league," said a hovering fairy, "Even if you are a...well, you know."

"Shmebulock!"

The large wolf raised its head in a howl. "It's the boy's problem now, let the Star-Child defend the forest. We will be watching."

The gathering started to disperse at the wolves' words.

"Wait, seriously. You guys aren't gonna tell me anything either? Who the hell do I need to talk to get some answers?"

Multi-Bear approached Dipper, laying a huge paw on his shoulders. "I am sorry my friend, truly. But long ago the forest made a pact to never influence the Star-Child in the matter of their Destiny. Only the previous Star-Child may guide the next."

"But can you at least tell me where I can find them?"

"Once again, I am sorry; they fell in their duty to the woods long ago."

"Well, thanks anyway old friend. I'll try to visit soon ok?"

"I would like that very much, Dipper Pines. Until we meet again."

Crestfallen, Dipper started back toward the treehouse. _Great, another dead end. At least now I know why no one wants to give me answers._

"Dipper…Dipper…help me…" Dipper's head shot up, and he looked around, seeing no one.

"Dipper…please…you have to help me."

"Wh…who said that?" Dipper looked behind him once more—still no one. Turning back around, he jumped in surprise. A woman was standing in front of him, long black hair framing her face. Her dress the color of the forest leaves. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. _Well except for Wendy._

The lady smiled warmly. "Dipper, please won't you help me?"

Dipper swallowed hard. "Um...who are you?"

"Sweet boy, I am the Lady of the Woods. But I'm trapped, Dipper. Please, you need to help me."

"Trapped? How? You're right here."

She smiled again. "Only partly, young one. My spirit has become caught in the rift."

"Ok yeah…that's bad. What do you need me to do?"

"You will have to open the rift."

"Wait…Wait…you want me to do WHAT? That thing is nothing but bad news."

Her smiled faltered just for a second. "But Star-Child, where do you think your power comes from?"

"Power? What power?"

"Ah…my mistake…I've appeared to you too early. You haven't gained access to your abilities yet."

"Wait, what?!"

"Time is something of a problem for me in the rift. You can't help me yet. I will be seeing you again. Dipper, please think on what we spoke of. I need your help." And with the breeze she faded into nothingness.

"What was that?" Dipper wondered as he made his way back to the treehouse.

"Dipper, come on down man. I need to get you back to town or those girls are going to kill me."

Dipper stuck his head out the treehouse window. "What are you…Woah, who gave you the black eye?"

"Oh this yeah…my niece, you know, your girlfriend. She has a hell of a right hook."

Dipper smirked. "What did you say to her?"

"Look man will you just get down here? She's threatened me more bodily harm if I don't get you back to town and in costume ASAP."

"And if I say no? I really don't want to parade around town in some lame costume tonight."

"Look kid, even if I have to drag you back to town tied to the back of my bike, you are going. So the sooner you accept it the better."

"Fine, but I don't have a costume, and I'm not wearing anything those girls picked out."

Now it was Oliver's turn to smirk as he held up an old garment bag. "Way ahead of ya kid."

The darkening of the sky brought forth the roll of thunder. A mighty storm was brewing on Summerween night. _Hopefully it holds off 'til we get done._ Another peal of thunder shook the sky. _Or maybe not._ Dipper stood in front of the gym waiting on his friends to arrive. He wore soft leather boots, loose black pants, and a black open throated shirt. His upper face was hidden beneath a swath of black fabric tied in the back.

"Where did you get this stuff from anyway?" He turned to look at Ollie perched on his bike. Oliver took a deep breath, letting the memory fall over him.

"It was one of my old costumes… we all matched that year. Danny was the great giant, and Jess was his kidnapped princess. Me and Jack went as the devilish rogues out to save her. Good times. That was the last year the four of us went out."

"Oh…Jess and Jack?"

 _Aww crap, way to go Oliver._ "Yeah, you know Jessica, Wendy's mom?"

"Oh I that makes sense, but who's Jack?"

"He was just some kid who hung out during the summer, haven't even thought about him in years."

"So was he…"

"Look kid enough questions ok? The girls are coming, and I'm not hanging around to crash some high school dance." _Wouldn't be the first time though._ "So I'm taking off. Just try not to cut yourself on that sword, Ok? I'd never hear the end of it." The bike roared to life as Oliver took off down the street into the evening.

"Wait…this is a real sword!?" Dipper called out in amazement. _Well I guess I should wait inside._ Dipper started to make his way into the gym, stopping to stare at a pile of jack-o-melons. _Wow, those things look rotten. Come to think of it all the watermelons around town have looked like that. Weird. Must have been a bad batch._

The gym was decorated with hanging spider webs and streamers. Multi-colored lights reflected off a thin layer of fog that covered the dance floor, the shifting display was almost hypnotic. Dipper saw costumes ranging from fairy princesses to pus dripping zombies. _At least everybody seems to be having fun._ His eyes fell on an older teen wearing a leather dress that seemed too short to be allowed, dancing by herself with her back to him. _Wow. That's…wow. Wait red hair…is that…_ The girl turned around, lost in the music. Dipper's jaw nearly hit the floor: it was Wendy. Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling, her lithe body moving seductively to the beat. A jolt shot through Dipper's body, as she opened her eyes, and stared straight at him.

Dipper's heart beat rapidly in his chest, as he started forward, dreading the awkward conversation that lie ahead, but entranced by Wendy's beauty. Before he took two steps, however—

"Hey there," said a _very_ familiar voice, in a very unfamiliar tone. He felt a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "Where have you been hiding your cute butt my whole life?" the voice purred.

 _Oh God, please no._ Dipper turned his head, and found himself staring into Mabel's beautifully made-up eyes, complete with fake eyelashes fluttering at him.

"Uh, Mabel? This is… I'm going to walk away and we're going to pretend this never happened, okay?"

"DIPPER?!" Mabel screeched, letting go of his arm and jumping back. "Excuse me, I have—I need to go wash my brain." She quickly retreated into the crowd behind her, although Dipper could still faintly hear her retching.

 _Well, now at least I know my talk with Wendy won't be the most awkward part of my evening. That is… somewhat encouraging… but mostly horrifying._ Taking a deep breath, Dipper strode across the room.

Wendy was trying her best not to laugh. "Looks like Mabel blew your cover, huh dude?"

Dipper's cheeks flushed. "Can we not talk about that please?"

"I… I like your costume. Very dashing," said Wendy, trying to put herself at ease as much as Dipper.

"Thanks, Oliver gave it to me. Your costume is…" Dipper looked Wendy up and down, taking in the fishnet tights, the leather… "beau-tiful." Dipper's voice cracked. _Smooth. Idiot._

Wendy didn't seem to notice Dipper's pubescent vocal fluctuation. Instead, she took a shaky breath, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Dipper, I don't know what to say or do to make things right between us. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but it's like that vampire dude just, I don't know, hypnotized me, or something. I kept trying to think of you, but I couldn't—my thoughts were all blurry and confused. But I tried Dipper, I really did."

Dipper opened his mouth to speak, but Wendy cut him off.

"Please just let me say what I have to say, Dip. The thing is, I remember. I remember it all. What I said to you, the taste of his blood… vomiting up cinders. I know what happened, even if I wasn't truly in control of myself. What I did, what I said… I was awful. You didn't deserve that. I mean, you saved me! Even after I said I hated you! And that's not the first time you saved me either. I—I don't deserve you, and I don't blame you if you hate me now. But… I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Wendy tried to keep herself together, but she finally broke down and sobbed. Dipper stood in front of her, not sure what to do. He looked around him, at everyone else dancing without a care in the world. _They all have no idea. Crazy, supernatural things are happening. Evil is roaming our forest. And they are all just oblivious._ He turned his attention back to Wendy, in tears before him. _She knows, at least… about the weird stuff that happens around here. But she doesn't know about me. About why I'm so dangerous to be around. I always thought that Wendy was a trouble-magnet because strange stuff always happened to her… but the only reason that stuff happens to her… is because of me._

"Wendy," said Dipper softly, wiping a tear from her cheek, "I've had time to think. And I know that what happened wasn't your fault. You're right about what happened to you… sometimes powerful vampires are able to hypnotize their…prey. I don't blame you. But I feel like, maybe this town is too dangerous for us to have a relationship. Like one of us is always going to have to be protecting the other from some big bad. I don't want you to have to protect me." _And for your protection, you should probably steer clear of me._

"I thought you liked me," said Wendy, her voice quivering. "And I can take care of myself…usually. Do you really not want to be with me, after everything we went through last summer, and how much we missed each other when you went back home for the school year? Do you not want me anymore?"

 _Dammit. YES WENDY, I WANT YOU. GOD, YES. Alright, new plan. Age. She's older than me. She deserves someone more…mature…_

"Wendy, I've never not wanted you. I wanted to be with you the first time I met you. Heck, I spent all last summer adoring you, wishing you'd see me as more than just 'little dude.'" Dipper took a deep breath, and looked down at his feet. He couldn't look her in the eye and lie to her. "But, there's also the age factor. You're three years older than me. You'll be off to college next year, and I'll barely be in high school. You deserve somebody your own age, who can, I don't know, go through life experiences _with_ you instead of after you."

Wendy looked up, fire in her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Yeah, I wish you were my age, but you're not… and I want to be with you anyway. I don't understand you. You talk about wanting to be with me, but you keep coming up with excuses to _not_ be with me. What the hell, dude?"

 _Ugh, she's right. I mean, why? Why can't we be together? We're probably in danger just from_ living _in Gravity Falls. If she's with the Star-Child, she's probably safer than being on her own, right? Or am I just trying to come up with reasons to do the selfish thing and stay with my girlfriend…who I adore… and who's pretty fond of me, herself? Screw it. I'll be selfish._

"You know what, you're right," said Dipper, taking Wendy's hand. "I just needed to hear it, I guess. If you want to be with me, and I want to be with you… what's stopping us?"

"DEMON WATERMELONS!" came a scream from the front of the gym.

 _You have got to be freaking kidding me. Seriously? Right now? Can't I just have_ one _normal teenage moment?!_

Utter chaos. Panic. Sequins and glitter everywhere. Dipper let go of Wendy's hand, looked at her, and shrugged. She nodded back.

"Time to smash some melons," grunted Dipper.

"What, dude? Do you really have to sound like some cheesy B-movie character?"

"There's nothing wrong with B-movies," argued Dipper, as the pair fought against the tide of panicked dancers fleeing away from the gym entrance.

"Dude, seriously? They're called 'B' for a reason. People don't go around _trying_ to sound like they're in a B-movie," shouted Wendy, disdainfully, over the roar of the screaming crowd.

"Well, we _are_ running _toward_ the danger. That happens a lot in B-movies," grinned Dipper.

"Touché."

"Dipper! Wendy!" came a panicked shout from the sea of people. Tambry and Pacifica were fighting their way to the couple.

"Mabel is out there!" cried Pacifica as she reached Dipper. "We were all out there cooling down some, and the watermelons all started moving and launching themselves at us!"

Tambry thrust her phone forward, displaying a blurred picture of what appeared to be a watermelon-gremlin hybrid thing.

"We all ran inside—well I thought we did! But we lost Mabel. She's still out there! We have to go find her," cried Pacifica, practically in tears.

Dipper didn't wait to hear more. Finally at the front of the gym, he thrust one of the doors open, and his vision immediately went black, as a putrid watermelon creature flew at him and latched onto his face.

"ARHGLBLRGLRR" came Dipper's muffled shout, as he clawed at the offending melon. Grabbing it with both hands, he wrenched it off his face and threw it hard against the ground, where it splattered, its green-gray insides oozing over the concrete. As Dipper used a sleeve to wipe demonic melon innards off his face ( _sorry about the costume, Oliver_ ), he saw a small flash of silver light, and felt a surge of energy.

 _What was—_ Dipper didn't have time to finish his thought, as another melon launched itself at him, and a second was gunning for Wendy. He pulled his sword out of its scabbard, and ran at the melons, screaming. _I hope to God Oliver wasn't lying about this sword being real!_

He swung at the possessed picnic food, slicing it cleanly through, it's pulpy insides spilling out over the pavement like green blood. Again, silver light flashed briefly, and Dipper felt a burst of power in the center of his chest. Before he could register the strange new energy, it happened again, as Wendy placed a well-aimed kick in the center of her Evilmelon's face.

Back to back, Wendy and Dipper fought off the gremlin melons, the flashes of light and feeling of energy in his chest building up with each smashed foe.

Nearby, Tambry and Pacifica were being swarmed by monstrous watermelons, when suddenly, a bloodcurdling battle cry pierced the air. Mabel tore through the mass of melons, swing a mace wildly, green ooze and chunks of black, shriveled melon skin marring her once beautiful princess dress.

 _Where the hell did she even get a mace?_

Flash! Power. Flash! Power. Over and over, with each disintegrating melon, Dipper felt a burst of energy in his chest, intensifying. He was trying to ignore it, because he and his friends were still being mobbed by demonic summertime jack-o-lantern analogues.

"Dipper, look!" screamed Wendy. He turned around and saw what she was pointing at. A stampede of shriveled melons was angrily rolling in their direction, ten times as many as what they were already struggling to fight off.

Mabel screamed and ran to meet the enemy head-on. "I REALLY LIKED THIS DRESS, YOU JERKS!" She swung her mace, sending smashed melon pieces flying in all directions.

The flashes of light and power surges were almost constant now, the pressure building in Dipper's chest. All around him, his friends fought the demon watermelons. _I can't save them. There are just too many. Oh god my chest…it feels like I'm gonna pop. Got to keep going. I need to save them. Where do they keep coming from…every one we take down two more show up. Chest hurts so bad. It keeps getting worse. Every time one drops…it hurts…worse._

Dipper dropped his sword and fell to his knees, gripping his chest in pain. He stared through the tears as the creatures swarmed his friends. He tried to rise once more, but another wave of pain sent him back to the ground. _This is it…can't…go…on…_

The pressure building in the young boy's body suddenly ripped forth, as wave after wave of energy came flowing out of him. As the waves of power crashed over the cursed watermelons they began to dissolve into rotten piles of mush. _Safe…they're…_ Dipper slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness.

The raven haired woman stopped at the edge of the pond.

"Show yourself. I know you're still here watching." A ball of light popped into existence as the wisp came forward.

"What? You are not supposed to be here."

"Awww is the little wisp still mad at me? It's been so long; can't you forgive me?" Sarcasm oozed from her voice.

"Vile woman, leave now before…"

"Before what, you banish me again? Not this time. I've grown stronger. You have no chance."

"We have the boy. He can stop you."

"Please a child could not possibly stand before the power I wield. Plus, I know the rules too, remember? You can't tell him anything." An evil smile played across her lips.

"You are right; we cannot aid him. We are bound to say nothing that could influence him. However, he is stronger than you ever were. He will not become one of the fallen."

"Still upset that you couldn't save me could you? Too bad. I will break the boy, _and_ this town. The rift's power will be mine."

"He will stop you."

"Same old song…goodbye little wisp. Oh and when you see the 'Star-Child' again, be sure to tell him all about this." She laughed coldly. A gust of wind blew a cluster of leaves around the woman, when they fell, she was gone.

"She has finally returned. May the gods be merciful."

Darkness. An inky black so thick light could never hope to exist. The void. The young man twisted in this empty space, desperate to find something, anything to bring hope. _Where am I? What is this place? "_ _ **HAHAHA, Well, well, well, if it isn't Pine Tree. So kid how do you want to spend the rest of eternity?"**_

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 7: Falling Stars

Ok so yeah…a little bit late posting this week, work was crazy. And I needed to figure this one out a little bit. **Thereader16, Im So Bored Right Now, fereality, NyaNyaKittyFace, and Guest** thank you guys so much for the reviews, they help me keep going.

And to those who were wondering yes it is Pike. Thank you **fereality** for recognizing him.

And to **Geekngroom** Thank you so much for putting up with my atrocious punctuation, and for helping me get that last little bit written.


	7. Falling Stars

Chapter Seven

Falling Stars

Malevolent laughter echoed through the vast nothingness. Instead of slowly losing volume in the echo, each resound increased in volume, filling the space with an ear splitting symphony of madness. A young man hung suspended in the void, twisting through the emptiness, his hands gripping his head in pain.

"I thought you were gone! You said you were nothing anymore!" The boy screamed against the pressure building on his eardrums.

" **And you believed me, oh god that is priceless! I'M OLDER THAN TIME KID, did you really think I could be beaten that easily?"** The demon triangle materialized right before Dippers face.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" Fear had begun to creep into Dipper's voice.

" **Oh Pine Tree, you're not getting scared already, are ya? Forever is a long time, and WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED."** Blue fire shot from Bill's hand incasing Dipper in a maelstrom of sapphire flame.

Dipper screamed as the flames wound around his body, slowly his cries died away realizing he felt no pain and the fire didn't touch his flesh. _Ok…that's new…_ Moving his hands through the azure inferno, he noticed the flames reacting to his touch. _Now that's really new…I wonder…_ Dipper closed his eyes in concentration, hands spread wide at his sides. The fire swirled and contracted around his body centering into his palms—soon they were coated in all the blue flames. Opening his eyes, Dipper smiled at the Demon.

"You're right. Looks like we are just getting started."

Angrily, Bill Cipher lashed out at Dipper once more, until the two were locked in mystical combat deep in the heart of the void. For every lick of fire, for every bolt of lightning, every single thing Bill threw at him, Dipper just smiled and countered it.

" **HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS? YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A SACK OF MEAT. HOW CAN YOU HAVE THIS MUCH POWER?"** the Demon Dorito raged against his would be victim. " **I AM A DEMON, A FUCKING DEMON! JUST WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU?"**

Dipper Pines smirked and willed a breeze to form around him, fluttering the hair on his forehead.

"I am your undoing Demon, just as I was before." The birth mark began to glow, white light piercing through the darkness of the void.

Bill Cipher stared, his single eye splayed wide in shock. " **Ok kid…I'm done. You win. I'm not going to fight anymore. Lousy Pine Tree, choosing stupid Destiny."** Bill slowly shrank down to normal size looking utterly broken.

"Wait…What…you're just giving up? What kind of trick is this?"

The triangle sighed. " **No tricks, no games, no deals. It's not fair Pine Tree. You had to go and find a destiny somewhere. And not just any destiny, oh no, the single greatest screw-you-Bill-Cipher destiny you could."**

Dipper stood dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? How does my destiny affect you so much? Just because I'm the Star-Child…"

" **GAH…Please, just don't say that name. Worst deal I ever made, still paying for it almost two millennia later. Look pipsqueak, what it boils down to is that I can't harm you in any way shape or form anymore. Alright…how can I be of assistance 'oh great and powerful Star-Child'?"**

"I am so confused right now. What the heck just happened?"

The demon floated around Dipper's head speaking softly. "I wasn't always like this you know. I was actually a pretty decent spirit Dipper. But I wanted more. I made a deal. In exchange for unimaginable power I was to aid the 'Star-Child'. I was naïve and the allure of being more than just a lowly dream spirit, it was too good a deal to pass up. Little did I know that the 'Star-Child' isn't a person, it's a title. So here we are kid, your once greatest enemy forced to give you all the help you need. And I can't lift a finger to scramble your precious molecules at all. It's really kind of depressing."

"So let me get this straight... You can't hurt me anymore _and_ you have to do what I say?"

"Yes. So please, can we get this over with?" The disgust was clear in Bill's voice.

"So why were you trying so hard to kill me last year if you aren't supposed to mess with me. You nearly took out the entire world."

An exasperated sigh left the floating triangle. "Yes, but you weren't the 'Star-Child then, you hadn't accepted your destiny. Plus, I am still a Demon, remember."

 _I guess what he's saying kinda makes sense. But that still doesn't explain how he's back._

"Hell, kid, could we pick this up please? The inner monologue isn't necessary. I can hear all of it. And to answer your question, I am gone. From the physical plane anyway. When you erased Stanley's memory I was banished to a layer of thought beneath the subconscious. A layer that can't be reached through normal dreams or thought patterns. I hate to break this to ya, but you're in a coma Pine Tree. Hehehe."

/

Wendy sat at Dipper's bedside, holding one of his hands between her own. _Come on Dip…Please wake up…it's been two days. I can't lose you now._ Around her Dipper's friends and family sat or stood, staring at the young man lying in the hospital bed.

"All his charts and test results say the same thing. It looks like severe exhaustion; however, we still don't know why he is comatose. Fortunately, all his vitals are stable, so with a little luck he has a chance of making a full recovery," the doctor explained to Stan and Ford _._

"Thank you Doctor, that's reassuring to hear," Ford stated, shaking the doctor's hand as he turned to leave the room.

Mabel sat on an uncomfortable hospital sofa, curled up against Pacifica, her eyes red from crying. "Grunkle Ford, is he gonna…gonna be ok?" Mabel's asked, voice shaking.

"Of course he is, Mabel. Dipper will be up and about in a few days. Ok?" The young teen just nodded before burying her face back into her blonde friend's shoulder.

From his spot by the door Oliver stared daggers at his older brother standing behind his niece. _Damn it Danny. If you had just told me about this sooner. Hell, I didn't even think the kid had been called yet. And now Jacob's on his way to town. This is gonna be a real shit_ show _. Speak of the devil…_

Jacob Pines rushed into the hospital room a blur of impatient energy. "Oh god, Dipper." Turning to Stan and Ford he asked, "How is he? What have the doctors said? Do they know when he's going to wake up?"

Oliver spoke up. "Stan, why don't you and Ford take the girls down to the cafeteria and get them some hot chocolate or something? They've barely left the room since we got here. Danny and I can fill _Mr._ Pines in."

"That sounds like a good idea, thank you Oliver. Come on girls. Yes, you too Wendy, you still need to take care of yourself while you watch over him." Reluctantly Wendy released Dipper's hand and followed the Grunkles and her friends from the room. As the door softly closed, a silence filled the room.

The three men stared at each other, the only sounds a soft beep of a heart monitor. Jacob turned on his old friend. "What thehell is _he_ doing here Daniel?" Pointing an accusing finger at Oliver.

"Woah, take it easy there Jackie, is that how you greet an old friend after so long?" Oliver said a smile on his face.

"This is your fault, isn't it? What did you do to my son?" Jacob asked accusingly.

The smile vanished, Oliver's face, becoming hard, angry. "My fault…you think this is my fault? You're unbelievable. I have done _nothing_ but try to help Dipper since I came back. But you…you and my brother just wanted to throw him to the wolves. You and your stupid secrets. That is your _son_ lying in that bed and you still cling to your ridiculous sense of honor. I would have thought you both would have learned something after what happened…"

"SHUT UP OLIVER. NOW IS NEITHER THE TIME NOR THE PLACE FOR THIS ARGUMENT," Manly Dan roared, stepping between Oliver and Jacob.

"No I think it's the perfect time. Maybe this is what it's going to take to get you both to see that the time for lies and secrets is over. Dipper deserves to know the truth about everything."

"OLIVER, I TOLD YOU BEFORE THAT WE CAN'T. THAT ISN'T THE WAY IT'S DONE." Oliver just stared at his older brother in a look of disbelief.

"Maybe…maybe Oliver is right Danny. Maybe now is the time to let it all come to light. No more secrets. I don't know how you've done it…how you've kept yourself together, but I don't think I could do it if anything happened to Dipper." Jacob Pines looked down at the floor, grief written on his face.

"WE…WE CAN'T…WE SWORE JACOB…I…WENDY…HER BROTHERS…IT WOULD CRUSH THEM."

"You unbelievable bastard. Your best friend's son lays in the hospital right in front of you, and still you still want to hide from the fact that THIS IS YOUR FAULT! You could have stopped this years ago, but noooo, we couldn't interfere until it was too late." Oliver was in full tilt now, years of frustration pouring forth. "What's it gonna take Danny, huh? What's it gonna take for you to stop this bullshit?" "IT…IT DOESN'T MATTER OLLIE. SHE'S…SHE'S BACK."

Oliver's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, for a second there I thought you said she was back."

Jacob collapsed into a chair, horror etched into his eyes. "She's already back…Dan are you…are you sure?"

Oliver turned to Jacob. "You knew about this? Is she really coming back?"

"Danny told me the night we decided Dipper was to stay in Gravity Falls. I'm sorry Ollie."

"No…no way. She can't be back. The binding ritual still should be in effect. How…but that's…Danny what are we going to do?" The fear in the room was palpable.

"NOTHING…there is absolutely nothing we can do.

/

Wendy sat staring as her marshmallows dissolved in her hot chocolate. _He's going to be Ok. He's going to be Ok. Please god let him be Ok. We had just fixed everything and then he gets taken away from me. And Mabel, poor Mabel—that's her brother._ Wendy looked across the table at her young friend. "He's gonna be ok Mabel, you heard what the doctor said, he should be up in a few days."

Mabel sniffed hard and wiped at her eyes. "Yeah, I know. But what if…what if he doesn't. The doctor doesn't even know why he's like that, and I just want him to wake up." The tears started to fall again and Pacifica wrapped her arms around her distraught friend.

"Your brother is going to be fine Mabel; he'll be up in a few days, ready to annoy the crap out of all of us. You need to get some rest, Ok?" Mabel just nodded.

Wendy glanced down the table at Stan and Ford deep in conversation over their coffee. Turning back to her friends she asked the question that had been on her mind since that night.

"So guys, what do you think happened? I mean we were fighting those weird melons, and then Dipper falls down and that energy wave just came out of nowhere, and all those _things_ just dissolve. Like, how could Dipper have done that?"

"Do you really think that this is the time for that Corduroy? Mabel is barely keeping herself together and you want to talk about monsters and magic?" Pacifica hissed.

Mabel looked up through her tears. "But maybe…maybe if we can figure out what happened, we can help Dipper?"

"Yeah see Pacifica, it's a good idea. Ok, so like, where should we start?"

/

"What's on your mind, Ford?" Stan asked his brother, as he glanced down the table at the three teenage girls deep in conversation.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing Stanley. I was just thinking about a new project." Ford said distractedly.

"Bull, Poindexter. It's written on your face. You think the kid should be awake by now. That maybe something is keeping him asleep."

"Keep your voice down. Do you really want to worry those girls any more than they already are?" Ford whispered to his brother.

"What are you afraid of Ford? That stupid triangle is gone remember? Erased along with all my mem… You think he found a way to come back don't you? Just like I was able to remember, he found a way to come back." The realization that Bill might be behind all of this started to slowly sink in to Stan.

"I don't know Stan. But I have thought about the possibility. And now that Dipper is in a coma, well, it looks like some of my suspicions were accurate."

"What can we do? If Bill isn't back and we try to do something, we could accidently bring him back for real… and if he is back, how could we even begin to stop him?"

"I don't know Stan. I just don't know."

/

"I'm WHAT?!" Dipper's volume ratcheted up several decibels.

"Easy kid, Geez I'm right here. Yeah so you're in a coma. I can show you if you don't believe me."

"You can show me...myself in a coma…ok why not? Let's do it."

The black nothingness of the void shifted and turned, color bleeding from everywhere. Dipper blinked and found himself floating in a hospital room, staring down at his body.

"See, like I told ya Pine Tree, there's your body right as rain, but nobody's home."

"But…what…I…how do I fix this?"

"Heh, it's not that easy kid. Generally, one of two things happen: either you wake up, or you don't. There's no mystical foolishness surrounding it."

"So…I'm trapped here."

"And ding ding ding, give the kid a prize!"

Dipper tore his attention from the body lying in the bed, looking to see who was in his room with him.

"Why is Oliver yelling at my dad? And why can't I hear anything?" he asked, looking at his reluctant guide for answers.

"I can show you whatever you want me to, kid… past, present—heck, even possible futures. But we are on a completely different wavelength from everything else. So no audio with the video."

"Wow…Oliver is looking pretty pissed off, and he's never met my dad before…wait…Jack…"

"And the 'Star-Child' is two for two, ladies and gentlemen! Alright kid, so you know the drill—what would you like to know next?"

/

"Danny, there has to be something we can do. If she's back we have to try something." Oliver pleaded with his brother.

"I'M SORRY LITTLE BROTHER, BUT WE CAN'T HOPE TO FIGHT HER AND WIN."

"So we…we just give up?" asked Jacob, incredulously. "But what about Dipper? What about my son, Dan?"

"JACK I…I'M SORRY…MAYBE IF WE HAD MORE TIME, DIPPER COULD…"

"Could what Danny? He's a thirteen-year-old kid who is in way over his head, and you think he could go toe to toe with her? You can't possibly be serious."

"HE'S ALL WE HAVE," said Manly Dan, his tone defeated.

"Well maybe it's time I call in a few favors, bring in some of my friends from out of town," suggested Oliver.

Dan's eyes went wide at this. "NO OLIVER, YOU AND I BOTH KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU BRING THEM HERE. YOU'D START AN ALL OUT WAR. IT'S NOT WORTH IT."

"We could leave," said Jacob, desperation clear in his voice. "We could take the kids and run, just leave the whole mess behind us."

"No Jack, the rift would be completely unguarded. We stay."

"I was a fool to let Dipper come back here. I just thought he'd have more time before all this started, that he'd have a chance at being normal and happy for a while."

"Heh, Jack I've seen the boy in action. Even without that mark on him, he was born for this; he's a natural at it. And if half of what I've heard that those kids all got up to last year is true, Dipper loves it."

"Either way Ollie, we are all in danger with no plan on how to proceed."

"THEN WE WAIT. WHEN SHE RETURNS WE DO WHAT WE CAN, AND IF WE FALL…THEN WE FALL."

"And what about Dipper? What can we do to help my son, Danny?"

"PRAY."

/

The three teenage girls stared into space, not fully seeing each other, letting their minds wander for a place to begin the search.

"We could always ask some of the nicer forest creatures. Dipper was on good terms with some of them," Wendy said, trying to get the discussion moving.

"Well, what about your weird cousin, or whatever he is? He's been hanging around Dipper a lot. Maybe he knows something." Pacifica offered.

"Guys, I know this is gonna sound weird, but a few weeks ago I had a dream about Dipper. It was the night of the party, the night Dipper found out we were staying in Gravity Falls." Mabel's voice was barely a whisper as she recalled the frightful dream.

"What was it about Mabs? You can tell us." Pacifica said taking her friends hand.

"Go for it Mabel, can't be any weirder than every day around here, man."

Mabel smiled at her friends' encouragement. "It was really strange, almost like I was just watching it happen in real life. Dipper went to some caves in the woods, and fought this crazy huge bear thing. And these glowing guys were talking about some Destiny or something. It was like every time I started to listen close the words got all garbled. And when I woke up I swore that it was real and went to check on Dipper, but he was sound asleep."

 _Destiny…huh…what if it wasn't all a dream...Dipper was talking about how dangerous this town was in the gym…like there was a reason…_ "Guys, maybe we should try to find this cave from Mabel's dream. I think it could be a solid place to start." Wendy said determinedly.

"Yeah…I guess…maybe…but whatever we decide to do we wait until tomorrow. I want to go back and sit with Dip for a while." Mabel's mood was quickly becoming depressed again.

"Of course Mabs, we can go whenever you want. Nobody is going to make you leave Dipper," Pacifica reassured her.

"Yeah Mabel, I want to make sure he's ok too, remember?" Wendy spoke softly.

/

"Dipper's beaten him before. He can do it again." Stan said thumping his fist on the table.

Ford sighed. "We don't even know if it is Bill, Stanley. It could just be as the doctors said, a coma; no demons, no magic, Dipper could just be ill."

"I just can't stand sitting here, not being able to do anything for the kid."

"Just calm down, he's going to be fine. When you get right down to it, he is the strongest person we know. And that's counting the two of us."

"Heh, ya got that right Poindexter. So we just wait; I guess that's the plan for now."

"That's really all we can do, as much as neither of us like it."

"Well, come on old man, I think we've been down here long enough. Let's get the girls back upstairs to see Dipper." Both Stan and Ford stood and walked down to where Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica sat.

"You kids ready to head back upstairs?" Stan asked.

"Yeah Grunkle Stan, we're good," said Mabel, standing up.

Together the five headed back upstairs to Dipper's room.

/

"So why am I in a coma exactly?" Dipper asked, as the hospital faded back to the emptiness of nothing.

"Well kid, you absorbed way too much quantum temporal energy, and the shock of expelling it made your body go haywire," stated Bill Cipher. "So, coma, until your body and mind can get back on the same page."

"I absorbed too much what now?"

Bill rolled his eye. "Geez Pine Tree, I thought you were supposed to be smart. Ok, let me dumb it down for you." Bill spread his hands wide and wiggled his fingers. "Magic. There, does that clear everything up?"

"You don't have to be a complete ass about it. I didn't get a manual or any kind of explanation with this destiny thing."

"Aww, boo hoo," mocked Bill. "You chose this, remember kid, it's all on your head."

"Ok, fine, whatever. So quantum temporal energy. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that's rift energy."

"See, that wasn't too hard now was it? Now then, every 'Star-Child' has been able to use this energy in a different way, after their initial exposure, I guess you would call it."

"So…I have powers now? Sweet."

"Yeah…no. Sorry kid, you still need to figure out what you can do once you wake up. And with your luck, could be nothing at all."

"What!? Seriously, that's a rip off."

"That's how life works when you have a destiny kid. It gives you one nice happy moment, just to rip it away and make you fight for another. Pretty shitty existence, if you ask me."

"Well no one asked you, demon. I'm getting pretty sick of all your snide comments. And yeah, things might not be great all the time, but I bet it beats being stuck in limbo for eternity."

Bill's eye narrowed at Dipper, his yellow visage slowly turning red. " **Listen to me, you miserable, little skin puppet. I may be stuck here, but you get to go back to reality, and if you thought I was bad, what's coming for you and all your pathetic little friends is so evil that it makes me look like a school yard bully. I just wanted to cause a little chaos—this thing is after the whole enchilada. And kid, this is the part I love: the chances of you stopping it and saving your family…hehehe…not so good for you."**

"SHUT UP CIPHER, JUST SHUT UP!I'm sick and tired of you. I don't care if you are supposed to help me; I never want to deal with you again!"

The demon triangle shrank down, and its singular eye winked at Dipper. "As the 'STAR-CHILD' wishes," said Bill, smugly. "That was easier than I thought! So long, Pine Tree. Reality is an illusion. The universe is a hologram. Buy gold. Enjoy the coma!" The creature vanished into thin air.

"CCCCIIIIIPPPHERRRR!" Dipper Pines fell to his knees in the nothingness of the void, his scream echoing for eternity as crackles of silver energy began to swirl around him.

/

Jacob Pines, Oliver Corduroy, and Manly Dan all stood looking at the boy who was their only hope of salvation. The monitor attached to Dipper's chest began to beep a little more rapidly.

"HE SHOULD BE WAKING UP SOON."

Oliver turned to his oldest friend. "Jake, are we gonna tell him? And before you say anything, Daniel about secrets or whatever, this is Jake's decision."

Jacob looked into the eyes of the two men he had once considered brothers, then at his son lying comatose in his hospital bed. His face went hard. "I think that the time for secrets is past. We've kept this hidden for long enough. Dipper has a right to know, they all have a right to know."

"I…YOU ARE RIGHT…I'VE FOUGHT AGAINST THIS FOR TOO LONG. AS SOON AS HE IS AWAKE WE WILL TELL THEM…EVERYTHING." Manly Dan let his shoulders drop in defeat.

"They should be back soon, so everybody just needs to be calm, ok?" Oliver said leaning back in his chair.

 _/_

 _Oh crap…it's happening again…the energy I can feel it building…but where is it coming from? Wait am I doing this…I can't control it…this is even more than last time. I can feel my brain ripping apart…my head is on fire…oh god…I'm trapped in this nightmare…_

Dipper's birthmark began to pulsate silver light as he stood in a vortex of energy. _I'm never going to get to see them again…Mom…Dad…Mabel…Wendy…I...love…_

/

Mabel sat at Dipper's side, her eyes locked on her brother's face. _Something's not right…he looks different._ "Dad…Dipper's birthmark is gone."

Three heads jerked up at this, their eyes wide. "Well, sweetie maybe it finally faded. You know your brother likes to keep it covered. Maybe you just didn't notice that it went away." Jacob, Oliver, and Dan all stared at each other, knowing that was far from the truth.

Suddenly, the door to the hospital room burst open, and a woman came rushing in, her raven hair trailing her. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I left the convention as soon as I heard. How is Dipper doing?"

Wendy Corduroy leapt from her chair, throwing her arms around the woman, and burying her face in her shoulder. "Mom!" She broke down in her mother's arms.

"There now sweetheart, it's all going to be alright. I'm here now." Jessica Corduroy smiled.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 8: Memory Lapse

/

And another one down. A couple of answers, a few more questions. Thank you guys for stopping by and giving this a read. **Thereader16, NyaNyaKittyFace, fereality, Im So Bored Right Now, ilikecartoonsand zombies, and Guest** thanks guys for leaving me a review. I really appreciate those they make my day.

Oliver 'Pike' Corduroy isn't an original character for those of you still wondering. He is a character from one of my favorite fandoms who got left by the way side and NEVER USED. I always felt he would have been great. So that's why he's here as a side character.

I've got a lot more planned that I want to do, but if you guys want to see anything or have any suggestion. I'm all for it.

Once again thank you so much to Geekngroom who edits and puts up with all my foolishness. Thanks babe.

Later Days

Peace


	8. Memory Lapse

Chapter Eight

Memory Lapse

The maelstrom, a swirling vortex of silver light and crackling energy. In its center a young boy knelt, buffeted by the forces around him. _I can't do this…it's too much…I'll never see her…Wendy…NO!_ Fire flashed in his eyes, as he forced himself to stand. Arms spread in defiance of the raging storm, he drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. _Ignore the pain…focus…_ As the energy circled around him, the light began to draw towards his hands. _I can do this. Just need to take it slowly. Just need to focus…_

/

"Mom!" Wendy exclaimed squeezing her mother tight.

"Hey, it's ok sweetheart, I was only gone two weeks." Jessica Corduroy returned her daughter's embrace. "I left the conference as soon as I heard about Dipper. How is he doing?"

Jacob sighed wearily. "He's stable but they don't know why he's comatose. The doctors are optimistic though."

Jessica crossed the room and swept her old friend into an embrace. "It's been too long Jack; I just wish we were seeing you under better circumstances."

Jacob Pines returned her hug. "It's good to see you too Jess." He responded voice thick with emotion.

Jessica surveyed the room taking in the tired red eyes of Mabel and Pacifica. "Oh girls, have either of you gotten any sleep?" Her voice taking on a soft motherly tone.

Both shook their heads and mumbled "No, Mrs. Corduroy."

"Well I think you both need a little break; you look dead on your feet. Come on girls, I'll take you home. That goes double for you Wendy." A slight edge creeping into her voice, making it clear there would be no argument.

"But mom…" Wendy began before her mother silenced her with a finger.

"I will bring you all back tonight. _After_ you all have gotten some rest and eaten something. Now come along girls."

The three teenagers filed out of the room under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Corduroy. Jessica turned back to address the others still in the room. "I would advise the rest of you to get some sleep as well. Dipper is going to be fine. You all don't need to sit with him every second." Her eyes meeting everyone's in the room.

"Yeah ok _mom_." Oliver said rolling his eyes.

"I will deal with you later Oliver." Jessica hissed as she left the room.

"ME? What did I do?" Oliver wondered aloud.

/

Dipper Pines glowed like a small silver sun, energy sparking from his hands. _Ok…just breath…you can handle the pain…just focus…keep it together Pines._ Slowly the light began to fade and the arc of the energy fell away, until it was just the boy standing in a plane of darkness. _I feel amazing. I can feel the energy surging in me…but the pain…is gone._ Looking around the darkness of his surroundings, he noticed a small speck of white far in the distance. _Guess I'm going that way._

 _/_

As Jessica and the girls left the room, Ford gripped his head as pain ripped through him. It felt like someone had taken a hammer and started beating on the plate in his skull.

"Hey Ford, you alright there bro? You're not looking so hot." Stan asked worry creeping into his voice.

Ford shook his head as the pain began to fade. "I think so; this old plate just seems to be acting up." Rapping a knuckle against his temple, making a resounding gong. _Hmmm…it seems odd though that it would start hurting out of nowhere. I wonder if something was trying to get in…_ "I'll look into it when we get back to the house."

"Well old man we should probably go get some rest anyway. Come on we'll come back in a few hours." Stan helped his brother out of his chair and together they left the room.

Oliver, Jacob, and Manly Dan looked at one another before turning their attention back to Dipper.

"SO OLIVER, WHAT DID YOU DO TO UPSET JESSICA THIS TIME?"

"How the heck do I know? Probably that I haven't been home in six years and I didn't let her know I was coming into town."

"I PITY YOU LITTLE BROTHER." Manly Dan said smugly.

"Guys, weren't we talking about something?" Jacob asked his brow furrowed in concentration. "It's right on the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to remember. I think it was important though."

"Was it about a reunion party? Cause that's pretty important. I mean we haven't all seen each other in…wait when was the last time the four of us saw each other?" Oliver asked puzzledly.

"No that's…not it…this was serious…about Dipper…I think." Jacob tried to remember but the thoughts were just out of reach, covered behind a thick fog.

"YOU SOUND TIRED OLD FRIEND, YOU DID DRIVE ALL NIGHT TO GET HERE. COME ON YOU NEED TO GET SOME REST." Manly Dan threw an arm around Jacobs shoulders steering him towards the door. "ARE YOU COMING OLIVER?" He asked his brother.

Oliver just stared at the young boy lying in the hospital bed. "No, you guys go ahead. I'll stay in case the little dude wakes up. Not the first time I crashed in a chair anyway. I'll see you in a couple of hours." As they left the room the smile fell from his face. _Something weird happened…but I can't remember what…I think it hit all of us…Damn it, what can't I remember. Maybe I'm just being paranoid…probably from the lack of sleep…and worrying about the kid…Get it together man._

/

Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica sat crammed into the back seat of Mrs. Corduroy's station wagon. "You know one of you girls could have sat up front with me. You didn't all need to cram back there like a bunch of sardines."

"Sorry mom. It's just been a rough couple of days." Wendy apologized sleepily. "Thanks for coming home so quick, I know this conference was a big deal."

"Oh, sweetie, it's ok. It was almost over anyway. All I really missed was one seminar, and being here was more important." Jessica glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

Mabel sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. "Thanks Mrs. Corduroy. I'm glad you're here. It means a lot."

"Of course Mabel, you and Dipper are like family, especially since your brother starting dating my little Gwendolyn."

"MOM! I thought we talked about never, ever using that name again." Wendy pouted, her face turning red.

Pacifica snorted. "Gwendolyn? And you make fun of my name. Oh you are never gonna live this down."

"Girls, no fighting. Both of your names are lovely." Jessica chided. "Now why don't you two stop this pettiness and make up."

"Yes Mrs. Corduroy."

"Ok, Mom."

The station wagon pulled up in front of the Corduroy cabin. "Ok, you girls go lay down, and I'll fix you a nice lunch for when you wake up, Ok?"

The three teenagers all dropped onto the sofa wordlessly, and were asleep in seconds.

/

Dipper walked for what seemed like hours. The small white speck continued to increase is size and brightness, but slowly. _How far away is this thing. I've been walking forever and I've barely gotten any closer. All I can do is keep going…wait…I'm walking towards the light…Ok maybe this is a bad idea…_ Dipper stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the glowing spot on the horizon, trying to make out any detail he could. _Nope...nothing…what about the way I've come from._ Turning around all Dipper could see was never ending darkness. He took one step in that direction and smacked into a solid wall. _Ow…ok that wasn't there two seconds ago…I guess I'm supposed to keep going forward…this is really boring._ Turning back around Dipper continued on his way toward the light. And, he hoped, answers.

/

Ford stared at his coffee, his mind running through multiple scenarios. "So that woman. That was Wendy's mother."

"Gee what gave it away Ford? Was it when Wendy called her mom? What's with you anyway? You've met Jessica before."

"Sorry Stanley, but I don't ever recall meeting her. I was gone for so long and when I came back I hid in the basement, then the end of the world happened. Then our great world tour…I could swear that Dipper told me something about her once but I just can't remember."

"Huh…are you sure? Cause I'm pretty sure that you've spoken to her before. You sure that plate of yours ain't messing with your head?"

"Its…It's possible, but unlikely. Maybe I'm just getting old…starting to forget things…" Ford trailed off worry creeping into his voice.

"Hey, don't sweat it Poindexter, you could be right after all, with everything that happened last year it could be that you two have never been officially introduced." Stan said comforting his brother.

"Yes, yes that must be it." Ford said distractedly. _Unless…no but that's an impossibility._

/

Dipper stood before a wall of pure white light, the intensity of the brightness making him squeeze his eyes nearly shut. Raising his hand out the light pulsed the closer he came to it. _OK…here goes…everything._ With a shaky breath Dipper stepped through the light.

And into the Cavern of the Stars. _Wait…what am I doing here?_ The constellations glowed like starlight, illuminating the cave in a soft blue glow. Silent as the night falls, the six figures slid from the walls, forming a semi-circle around Dipper. " **HAIL DIPPER PINES, 'STAR-CHILD'."** The six figures spoke as one, their deep voices echoing against the cavern walls. **YOU HAVE DONE WELL SINCE..."**

"You know what, save it." Dipper interrupted. "I've had enough of all this cloak and dagger crap. I want some straight answers." _From a reliable source._ "I accept that this…all of this is somehow my Destiny, I just want to know what I'm supposed to do exactly."

Clap. Clap. Clap. "Well said boy. Come have a seat with me, and we will talk about the destiny of the 'Star-Child'." Dipper whirled around to see an old man sitting beside a small fire. The man's face was heavily lined in wrinkles, but his eyes twinkled like stars. A wry smile sat on his face.

"Ok…and who are you supposed to be?" Dipper questioned the elderly newcomer.

The old man just smiled wider. "I think you already know the answer to that young man."

' _Star-Child'…the first 'Star-Child'._ The thought came to him unbidden. "Woah…um…woah…I…" Dipper stammered.

"He he he. It is alright child. I know it is a bit of a shock. Come. Sit. We shall discuss the things that weigh heavy on your heart." The old man's voice was deep and gravely.

Dipper walked over to the fire, sitting down he stared through the flames at the original 'Star-Child.' A million questions raced through his brain. "I…what…how…why me? What makes me so special?"

"A good question. A good beginning. Dipper do you remember your night here in the cave? The question that the children of the stars asked you."

"They-they asked me to choose. They asked me if I wanted this."

"Yes my boy, you were offered a choice. To accept your destiny or to run from it. Do you know how rare it is for one to be offered the choice and to take it? Most would run, take the life of normalcy. But you, you wanted this. Even with all the frustration you feel right now, you still want this. Why?"

"Because…these woods…this town…all the people and creatures…the weirdness. I love it. Even when I'm fighting for my life, I feel like this is my home. I've always felt that way about this place."

"In two thousand years, I have never heard that answer in anyone's heart. It has always been duty, or honor, or even the power that a destiny brings, except for you. That is why you and only you were offered a choice. To see if you would indeed embrace your true destiny."

Dipper gazed into the fire as the man's words washed over him. The weight of their meaning filled him with a sense of peace.

"There you see, already you feel better. You must learn to trust yourself Dipper, stop second guessing your decisions. You will make mistakes to be sure, but you must learn from them and move on. Grow stronger in failure, so that you may succeed in you next challenge."

"I know…I just wish I didn't have to do this alone. I…I need my friends, but I don't want them to get hurt because of me." Dipper said softly, the fear of losing them heavy on his mind.

"My boy, no one said you must do this alone. We all need people. It is when we forget that that the darkness slips in. And I think we both know that given the choice, your friends will stand beside you until the end."

"But all the creatures of the forest said that they couldn't 'interfere' with my Destiny. Something about a pact?"

"That is their choice Dipper, however maybe you can convince them otherwise. You are the 'Star-Child' now. You are the protector of the woods and the rift. How you do things is up to you, do not be governed by the laws of your predecessors."

"So I can do things my way? I'm not bound by any sacred laws or anything?"

"Dipper, as long as your heart cares for these woods, this town, and the living beings here, you may do what you feel is necessary to protect them."

The fire had faded almost to embers. The old man's face grew grave. "Our time is nearly at an end. Before you leave I offer one last piece of advice and a warning. You will come to learn of your power soon young one, do not let it consume you. The temptation to give in will be a daily struggle, rise above it.

Dipper gulped, a nervous knot forming in his stomach. "And the warning?"

The old man's eyes seemed to be very far away. "Sometimes even a Fallen Star can return, its horrible light wanting nothing but destruction. Not everyone is what they seem. I'm sorry Dipper Pines, this will be one of the toughest trials you ever undertake."

The coals flared once, casting the original 'Star-Childs' face in bright light. A single tear crept through the wrinkles of his ancient face. "It is time to continue your journey. Awaken."

/

He stared up at the ceiling. _Oh god everything hurts._ "Uhhh. Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?" Dipper croaked out, his throat completely dry.

"Hey…HEY! I need somebody in here!"

/

Mabel sat bolt upright, all traces of sleep gone. _That cave again. Dipper was talking to someone…but Dips in the hospital…in a coma…maybe it was just a weird dream after all._ She started nudging and poking the two girls on either side of her. "Hey, come on, get up. I had another dream." She whispered, not wanting Wendy's mom to overhear.

"Jus-just five more minutes. I swear I..zzzzz" Wendy muttered before falling back asleep.

"No…don't wanna get up…too cozy." Pacifica said as she burrowed into Mabel's arm.

Mabel stopped frozen like a deer in headlights as she heard laughter coming from the kitchen. _Oh crap I think Dad is here too._ "Come on I want to talk to you guys about this, you can sleep later." Mabel hastily spoke as she pinched each girl on the nose.

"Oww! Quit it Mabel. Alright geez we're up." Wendy grumbled rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Did you have to pinch so hard?" Pacifica complained.

"Now if you are both done whining, I had another dream about that weird cave. Dipper was there."

"Wait Dipper's in the caves? We need to go now. Why didn't you wake us up sooner Mabel? Come on dudes." Wendy said hopping up from the sofa.

"Calm down Wendy, Dip's still in the hospital. I think I was seeing…what he's dreaming about. Dipper was in the cave, and he was talking to this really old man. I could only hear bits and piece of what was being said but I got that it was mega important." Mabel explained slowly, letting her voice drop back down to a whisper. "I think Dipper's been keeping secrets."

"Secrets? What kind of secrets could your brother be hiding? He was always big on sharing his mystery stuff."

"I don't know Paz…but I think it could be pretty big."

"Ok so we just get Dipper to spill. That'll be easy dudes. If Mabel can't annoy it out of him, I can get him to talk no problem." Wendy said grinning.

"Oh what, are you going to use your womanly charms on him _Gwendolyn_?" Pacifica sniggered.

"What's that supposed to mean _Northwest_?"

Pacifica smirked. "Exactly what it sounded like." Wendy's face turned bright red.

"Can we please not have _this_ conversation about my brother right now? We were talking about the weird cave stuff." Mabel said, exasperated. Silence from the kitchen.

"Girls, I thought we agreed on no more fighting," called Jessica.

"Sorry mom," Wendy replied. "We w—" she stopped midsentence and jumped, at the shrill tone of her text message notification. It was from Oliver.

 **Pippy, some dude keeps asking for you, says he's your boyfriend or some such nonsense. Thought you'd want to know he's awake. See you.**

Wendy looked up from her phone huge grin on her face. "We need to go to the hospital. Dipper's awake."

/

The doctors had just left the room, after declaring that Dipper was seemingly fine. Oliver was still the only other person in his room. Dipper smiled wanly at his older friend.

"You look like I feel. Have you gotten any sleep since I've been in here?"

"Ehh…five or ten minutes, here and there. Been having trouble with that, nightmares…and besides somebody had to stay to keep an eye on you."

"What about Wendy?" Dipper asked.

"Oh trust me, she wanted to, but her mom made her go get some sleep." Oliver explained.

"…her mom? But I thought her mom was…gone?"

"Really kid, her little girl is upset and you think Jess wasn't going to come running back from some stupid teacher's conference?"

"Conference?"

"Yeah kid…you feeling ok? You want me to have the docs give your head a double check?"

Dipper shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs. _Wendy's mom? She left a long time ago…right? No you met her last year remember. No I didn't I never even knew her name till Ollie told me outside the gym. Did the coma mess with my memories?_

"No, I'm ok. Just a little tired I guess." Dipper chuckled weakly.

The door to his room burst open and a trail of red hair came flying at him. "Dipper!" Wendy exclaimed smothering him in a bear hug.

"Hey, I missed you too." Dipper was able to groan out as his girlfriend crushed his ribs.

Oliver stood up from his chair and stretched as Jessica, Mabel, and Pacifica entered the room.

Jessica stared at her brother-in-law. "I thought I told you to get some sleep." She said a touch of anger entering her voice.

"And last time I checked, you still were not my mother. I was keeping an eye on the kid."

The four teenagers stopped talking to observe the argument between the adults.

"Well maybe if you acted like you were older than seventeen I wouldn't have to act like your mother anymore. And I told you Dipper would be fine for a while." Jessica's tone softened. "I just worry about you Ollie. We don't want you to have another accident."

Oliver's brow furrowed. "Accident? I haven't…" a flicker crossed his face as he remembered. "Aww…shit Jess, yeah…your right. I'm sorry. Now that you guys are here, I'm gonna go get some sleep." He turned to leave the room, waving at Dipper as he went.

"Oliver…" Jessica called out as he went.

"Yeah Jess, I'll walk." Oliver called out as he closed the door behind him.

The mood in the room was somber as the teens stared at Jessica.

"I'm sorry you kids had to see that, Oliver needs to be reminded he has limits sometimes." Jessica explained.

"It's ok mom, we know Uncle Ollie doesn't always think about stuff." Wendy offered.

"Anyway back to more important matters. How are you feeling Dipper dear?"

"Um…I'm ok, I guess…Mrs. Corduroy." _Uhh…that felt weird to say…maybe I do need to have the doctors look at my head._

Jessica's smile faltered momentarily. "Are you sure you're ok? The girls have been worried sick about you. Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?"

"Well…maybe…some of your famous chocolate chip cookies. That would be great." _Where the hell did that come from?_

Jessica grinned. "Of course dear, the girls an I can whip up a batch of those tonight." She settled down into a chair.

"Dork, right out of a coma and you want cookies." Wendy teased.

"That's my brother for you."

"What your sister and girlfriend are trying to say is we're glad you are feeling better." Pacifica smiled.

"Thanks guys, I'm just happy to be awake."

"So bro-bro, how long has your birthmark been gone?" Asked Mabel, trying to steer the conversation into the direction of the caves.

Dipper started. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" Dipper looked around for a mirror. "It was there…before I passed out."

"Maybe it disappeared when you were in the caves." Mabel's voice dropped to the lowest possible whisper.

Dipper's eyes went wide. "I…you…I…how do you know about that? Never mind, now is not the time or the place to discuss it. But I promise, when I get out of here…I'll tell you guys everything."

Mabel beamed. "Good enough for me Dippinsauce."

Wendy snuggled into Dipper's side, resting her head on his shoulder. "Is this ok? I'm not hurting you am I?"

"No you're perfect."

"AWWWW!" From Mabel.

Both Dipper and Wendy turned bright red. "Shut up Mabel."

Laughter filled the room, and everything was as it should be.

/

As soon as he had shut the door behind him Oliver collapsed to the ground, gripping his head in agony. _A portal in the sky…hell fire raining down on us…no it was the motor cycle accident…Wendy almost got hurt really bad…pure chaos…hell on earth…damn it my mind is ripping itself in two…_

Stumbling to his feet, he lurched down the hallway to a bathroom. Locking the door behind him, Oliver stared at the reflection in the mirror, watching himself slowly descend into madness. _You're stronger than this…no you aren't, you'll always be that weak little screw up…we...we stopped it, the rift…it was a thunderstorm…you were lucky to be wearing a helmet…no…no…NO…_ he slammed his forehead into the mirror, shattering the image.

Blood ran into his eyes, his thoughts starting to clear. _Someone is messing with my memories…no not someone…her…oh shit…she's already here. We are all screwed. I gotta warn Dipper…but what if he's already under her spell. Ok here's the plan…tell him and if it's a no go…we call for…who the hell is gonna believe me anyway…I am royally boned on this._

"Everyone is in danger and I can't do a thing." Oliver let the words fall from his lips even though no one was there to listen.

/

It was almost midnight but Dipper was still wide awake. Everyone had left hours ago. His father had been surprised that Dipper wasn't surprised that he was there. But still his thought were on Mrs. Corduroy. _Why can't I remember? There are bits and pieces but they don't feel right._ _You aren't going crazy. You are perfectly sane. There is a logical explanation for all of it._ The door to his room slowly opened, light from the hallway illuminating the darkened hospital room. "Oliver!" Dipper exclaimed. "What happened to your forehead?"

"Huh? Oh I uh, slipped and cracked it on a mirror." Oliver muttered distractedly. "Listen, man. I gotta ask you something and depending on what you say, it might be the end of me hanging around this summer."

"What's going on? Not three days ago, you were all gung ho to train me. Now you look like a little kid caught in a lie."

"Look. Kid, I hunt monsters and demons for a living, but this town…every time I come back here things always seems to go straight into the toilet."

"So tell me then…is it about…" Dipper gulped. _Moment of truth._ "Is it about Jessica?"

Oliver's head shot up, his eyes fully wide. "What-what do you mean?"

 _He knows…it's safe._ "I don't remember her at all. Like not one single memory, except for one. Wendy said she ran off almost six years ago. Six years, and everyone is acting like she's been gone for a long weekend."

"Oh thank god she didn't get to you too. Dipper, I don't know what we're gonna do but we gotta be careful. Everyone thinks that she never left. That she's just the sweet loving mom. Man, oh man Dip, she's evil, and I don't know if we can stop her. I mean we barely did last time and oh god I'm rambling."

"Woah, slow down. What do you mean she's evil?" Dipper asked worriedly.

Oliver let out a deep breath, trying to control the fear rising in his stomach. "I thought she was gone. We thought she was gone. Dip man, I'm so sorry. We were gonna tell you sooner but…"

"Tell me what Oliver? Just spit it out, you're starting to freak me out."

"The rift…it corrupted her…she got drunk on the power…we didn't notice it for years. Years Dipper, she hid how twisted she had become for years! Six years ago…Me, Danny and your dad…we were able to bind her power and send her away…we…we told the kids that she just ran off…we didn't have a choice…she was going to throw the rift wide open. They…Wendy…was broken…she didn't talk to anyone for like six months. When she did it was like looking at a different person…she didn't want to get close to anyone…God man if we could have done it any other way." Oliver broke down at his confession, years of guilt wracking his body.

The realization hit Dipper like ton of bricks; the unthinkable was now reality.

"But…but that means…if she can use the rift…oh god. Jessica is a 'Star-Child', the Fallen Star…Oliver…what do we do?"

/

Deep in the darkest part of the forest she stood with her arms raised, ebony locks tumbling down her back, silver energy crackling at her fingertips. _That boy is proving to be problematic…I think it is time to show him exactly what the rift is capable of._

Sweat began to form on her brow as she poured more energy into the rift. The air began to shimmer and warp, a tear forming in reality itself. _Now then…come to me my pet._

Two large golden eyes appeared in the rip in the sky. A loud roar shook the trees sending birds flying. The beast came through, its massive frame crouching in front of the woman. Moonlight reflected off its scales as steam wafted from its nostrils. The birthmark on her back pulsed in time to the creature's heartbeat.

Jessica Corduroy smiled coldly. _Here there be dragons._

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter Nine: Wait, Where's the Dungeon?

 **Ilikecartoonsandzombies, Im So Bored Right Now, thereader16, NecroticHate, NyaNyaKittyFace, Guest,** **Guest Reviewer, and geekngroom.** You guys are absolutely amazing thanks for the reviews. You guys help drive me to make this as good as I possibly can.

Within the next couple of weeks, I plan to start working on a new story. So I'll go ahead and give you guys the title now so you can be on the lookout.

Coming Soon: Oliver Corduroy's Guide to Killing Weird S#!%


	9. Wait, Where's The Dungeon

Chapter Nine

Wait, Where's The Dungeon?

The morning sun crested the mountain's peak, dawn's early rays bring light into the sleeping forest below. Deep in a cave high above the trees, the beast stirred. Steam rose from its nostrils, as it shook its head clearing the fog of sleep. It had been summoned to this world one week ago, pulled from its home by its new mistress. She had promised it destruction, an unspoiled world ripe for conquest; yet here it lay hiding its presence. Soon the town would burn, these woods would be reduced to ash, and the pathetic creatures of this plane would slake its hunger. Flames slipped from its mouth as its laughter echoed off the cave walls.

"I see we are in good spirits this morning, my pet." A voice purred from the caves mouth.

The dragon's eyes narrowed at the sound of the intrusion, before recognizing the voice of its mistress. " _ **Ah yesss, misstresss. I wasss imagining the burrrning, the sscreamsss. Pleassse say the time growsss near."**_ The dragon's voice a deep, resonating rumble.

Jessica Corduroy rubbed a hand across the dragon's jaw, its red scales glowing like embers. "Soon we will lay waste to this miserable town. My power continues to grow daily; soon I will be at my former strength and nothing will stop us."

" _ **Annndd what of the bboyyy? You ssaid thattt he could beee a problemmm."**_

"Yes, the 'Star-Child'" Jessica said her voice dripping with sarcasm and disgust. "The rotten child is still inexperienced; he has lasted this long on sheer luck. He will be no match for you, no matter who stands beside him."

The dragon smiled, teeth gleaming like daggers. _**"Itt ssshall be asss my misstresss wishes."**_

Their laughter pealed through the mountains, while far below the forest creatures huddled in fear. They could feel a change in the wind, a premonition of the horror to come. Deep in the dragon's lair, a solitary egg lay in a nest of rocks. Silver sparks of rift energy crackled across its ebony surface. A single crack formed in its shell.

/

The boy ran through the forest, the verdant leaves a blur as he raced past. He smiled as the wind whipped past his ears, reveling in his freedom. He blinked and the world changed. Everywhere he looked green was replaced by red. The forest…his forest was burning. The heat began to rise as the trees crumpled to ash. Turning he saw two horrible golden eyes, just as a blast of flame engulfed his body.

Dipper opened his eyes. Someone was knocking at the door. _At 6 am…Mabel…why can she never sleep in?_

"What Mabel? What is so important that it can't wait for a few more hours?" Dipper asked grumpily.

"Phone call." She stated simply.

"Who is it, Mabel?" An edge creeping into his voice. It was too early for games.

"Manly Dan. Something about Wendy not coming home last night."

Dipper turned his head and sure enough there was his girlfriend, still passed out from their late night movie marathon. _Oh crap. We are so dead._ He slid out of bed, careful to not wake Wendy. He unlocked the door and stared at his sister. "Give me the phone."

"Oh…yeah…sorry no phone calls this morning for you Dip. I just wanted to see your face when you woke up in bed with Wendy."

Dipper turned deep red at the implied comment.

Click. "And there it is. Scrap-book-ortunity. So anyway, now that you are _obviously_ feeling better, are you going to tell us about the cave stuff?"

Dipper glanced back at his sleeping Wendy. "Yeah sis, as soon as she wakes up I'll tell you guys. Just make sure Pacifica is here. I only want to go through this once." He started to make his way back to his bed for a few more hours of sleep.

"Can do Bro-Bro. She's downstairs having breakfast now."

Dipper paused mid step. "Why is she here at six o'clock in the morning?"

"Huh, oh she was sleeping with me last night. I mean we had a sleep over. No sharing of the bed was involved. Wow. I just put my foot in my mouth. I'm gonna go now."

Mabel closed the door before her brother could even get one word out.

Chuckling softly Dipper carefully laid back down, not wanting to wake his girlfriend. As he closed his eyes he felt her strong arms embracing him.

"We really need to do this more often." Wendy murmured sleepily.

Dipper was smiling as he drifted back to sleep.

/

Hot breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine. Her fingers entwined in his hair holding him in place, his arms wrapping around her, keeping their bodies close. "I'm never going to let you go." He murmured into her ear, teeth biting her earlobe. The sensation sent chills through her body. She ran her hands over his strong back and wide shoulders, her nails making him groan. _Why did we wait so long for this?_ She thought as she pulled his head up, bringing his lips to hers. Tongues searching each other's mouths, drawing soft whimpers from her. Their eyes locked; her emeralds staring into his pools of soft honey. _He looks so good with a little scruff on his face._ He smiled. "I love you…"

"Wendy. Hey Wendy! You need to get up." Dipper was gently shaking the older teen.

Wendy's eyes flew open and she sat straight up, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. _A dream…it was only a dream. Damn. Dipper is gonna be hot when he gets older._

"Um…Wendy are you ok? You're drooling a little bit."

She raised a hand to wipe the saliva from her chin. _That was some dream…I wish we were the same age now…damn._ "Yeah Dip, I'm good. I was just really asleep, we stayed up way too late last night…oh crap…I slept here…in your bed…my parents are gonna kill me." _Jeez no wonder I was dreaming about Dipper; he was right next to me all night._

"Well, we're in luck on that one. Mabel covered for us. You had a sleepover with her and Paz."

"Oh thank God, I really didn't want to have that conversation with my dad." Wendy grimaced.

"Yeah me either. Anyway, I'm gonna head downstairs for some breakfast. You grab a shower or whatever and when you join us, I'll fill you guys in on the weird stuff I've been dealing with."

"Ok, sounds good." _That will at least give me a chance to calm down._

Dipper moved in and gave her a soft kiss before turning to go downstairs. _Damn I can't wait till he gets a little older._

/

As Wendy came downstairs drying her hair she saw Dipper, Mabel and Pacifica sitting around the table. Oliver was draped over a sofa, seemingly passed out, oblivious to the world around him.

"What's he doing here?" Wendy asked pointing at her uncle.

"He has some… _insight_ into what I'm going to talk to you guys about." Dipper offered.

"Well shouldn't he be awake for it?"

"Asks the girl who just now wandered downstairs." Oliver spoke softly, barely moving his lips. "Now that you're here we can get started. Ball's in your court, Dip."

 _Deep breath. Here we go._ "Ok, so yeah…apparently my birthmark, it wasn't just a birthmark. It marked me as having a destiny. I'm supposed to watch over and protect Gravity Falls. The crap that happened last year was just the tip of the iceberg, and it's up to me to stop it all. Did I miss anything Oliver?"

Hidden behind the sofa they heard Oliver's sleepy voice. "You forgot the constant crap coming through the rift, and the many near death experiences. Yeah…I do not envy you kid."

Dipper looked at the three slack jawed girls staring at him. "Um guys…it's still me. And it's not like we didn't have to deal with all this stuff last year. Now we just know there is a reason behind it."

Still three blank expressions. "Ok what's it gonna take? What do I need to say or do to get you guys to snap out of it?"

"Is…is this why you didn't want to get back together?" Wendy asked coming out of her daze.

"I wouldn't answer that kid. That sounds like a trap if I ever heard one."

"I just didn't want you to get hurt because of me. I'm sor..." Dipper's apology was cut off by a resounding slap.

"Told ya."

"What the actual hell Dipper, why didn't you come tell us this right away? Did you think we would think you were crazy or something? We lived through last year too, remember. Didn't you trust us?"

"And… time out." Oliver popped his head over the back of the sofa. "You three need to remember one thing right now. One very important detail. It is all on him from this point forward. He's the one that's shackled to all this. If any of you wanted to, you could be out of town tomorrow and never have to look back. For better or for worse, this is his life now."

"Dipper…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to slap you I was just angry."

"No it's ok Wendy. After everything you have a right to be angry. I just hope we're good now."

"Of course we are, dork."

"Good." Dipper smiled at his girlfriend before turning his attention to Pacifica and his sister. "Do you two have any questions?"

"I think I need to go rethink everything." Pacifica mumbled.

"My brother, the hero. Yeah sounds about right. Come on Paz, it'll be ok."

"Ok. Moving on. Oliver and I have to run an errand. Can we meet up for lunch to talk about this some more?"

"Yeah Dipper, we'll meet at Greasy's. See you later, boyfriend."

/

Dipper and Oliver walked through the trees, stopping at the ponds edge.

"You really think this is going to work Dip?" Oliver asked his young friend.

"I don't know. We have to try something though. You and I are the only ones free of Jessica's memory tampering. And you said that it's even started to affect you."

"Yeah…it's becoming harder to separate certain stuff. But I'm ok. Now then, let's deal with this wisp."

The light appeared on the surface of the pond, as if the mere mention of him brought him forth. "Greetings Dipper Pines." The wisps voice lost its friendly tone. "And Oliver Corduroy…or perhaps you would prefer if I addressed you by your taken name."

Oliver looked like he had seen a ghost, an expression of horror appearing on his face before being replaced with resignation. "You know what…yeah…do that. I've been hiding from that name for six years. I tried to bury my past with that name, but I think it's time to be who I truly am."

"Very, well…Pike."

"Pike? You named yourself after a fish?" Dipper asked, a look of confusion on his face.

Pike's laughter split the silence of the forest. "Every time. That's always everyone's first reaction. Why does everyone think about that fish?"

"Now then, what brings you to see me today, young 'Star-Child', with some very questionable company?"

"Questionable company? Why do you say that? What's wrong with Oli…I mean Pike?" The errand had been momentarily forgotten as Dipper wondered what other secrets his friend was hiding.

The wisp just bobbed in the air inches from Pike's face, as if waiting for him to begin his tale.

"Fine." Pike said exasperated. "Which particular incident are you referring to?"

"All of them." The wisp said with a hint of venom in its tone.

Pike sighed and turned to Dipper. "Truth be told kid, I'm not a good guy. I tended to be a little _extreme_ in my work ethic. I always put the job ahead of everything. Regardless of the consequences of my actions." Pike paused turning back to the wisp. "Is there anything else you want me to say or is that gonna cover it?"

"As long as the 'Star-Child' understands what you are capable of, I am satisfied. Now then young one, how can I be of assistance to you today?" The wisp asked turning its attention back toward Dipper.

"Huh…oh yeah." Dipper was still lost in thought at the recent revelation from his friend. "We need information and some help."

"Well as always I will give you whatever I can, however you know that I cannot directly influence your path."

"Yeah, see that's what I wanted to talk to you about. So why exactly can't you ever tell me anything that directly relates to this 'Star-Child' stuff?"

"I am bound by an old oath to never become involved in choices that will affect the shaping of your destiny."

"Yeah ok, we get that. What the kid is asking is for the details of it." Pike interjected.

The wisp floated in silence for a few moments. "It was a long time ago. One of the early 'Star-Children' fell, because of something a creature of the forest did. When the next was called, he made the council of the forest swear to the oath that from then on the 'Star-Child' would be on his own when it came to anything directly affecting his destiny."

Dipper smiled. _Just as I thought. Maybe I can get this to work after all._ "Well, ok then. Now I have a question for you. I want to know about the last 'Fallen Star'."

The wisp dimmed, its voice came out small and weak. "I cannot. As I just told you, by the order of the 'Star-Child' I cannot interfere."

Pike just smirked. "Wow. It really is gonna be that easy."

"Wisp, I need to know. She's going to open the rift somehow, and I need answers."

"But, the oath…the 'Star-Child' made us swear…"

"And now the 'Star-Child' needs your help. Look if it'll be any easier, call the council. Get the creatures of the forest together. I'll meet you all at noon at the stone table." Dipper turned his back on the pond without waiting for a reply.

Pike fell into step beside him. "You think you'll be able to convince all of them kid?"

"I don't know, but I've got to try. I'm going to head over to the treehouse to wait. Let everyone know I'll be back this afternoon."

/

Dipper laid on a sofa staring at the treehouse ceiling. _Ok, don't be nervous. You can do this. You know the Multi-Bear will probably stand beside you. Maybe the wisp and the gnomes. The Man-O-Taurs will be difficult to convince. I have no idea where I stand with those wolves._ Dipper sighed. _How the hell am I gonna tell Wendy about her mom. 'Hey Wendy. Love you. By the way your mom's an all-powerful witch out for the total destruction of the world. Yeah, she'll totally believe that. And what if Jessica manipulates her memory even more? We need to find a way to stop her soon._

The alarm on his phone began to beep. _Alright. Let's do this._

/

Dipper stood at one end of the stone table, staring down the large wolf on the other side.

"No." The wolf growled. Dipper had just asked the gathered council for their help. "It is against the oath sworn by our ancestors. And if that's all this was about, you are wasting our time."

"Fine. If you all truly don't want to help me, so be it. I hope that you all can stop her."

This brought a pause to the murmuring of the group. "What do you mean if _we_ can stop her? That's your job, whelp."

Dipper shrugged his shoulders. "I can't stop her on my own. I know that. If I try my friends will get hurt in the process, and I'm not about to risk their safety in a battle I know I'll lose."

"So you are just going to give up Dipper? This does not sound like you, my friend." Said the Multi-Bear.

"I don't want to, but I don't see how I can stop her."

"It doesn't matter boy. You are the 'Star-Child'. Your duty is to these woods and the creatures in it."

Dipper smiled. "So you do recognize me as the 'Star-Child'?" He asked looking at all the members of the council."

"Of course we do."

"Then help me, give me something I can use to stop her."

"I'm getting tired of repeating myself. We cannot help you as was decreed by the 'Star…oh…very clever whelp. Very clever." The great wolf chuckled. "Do you rescind the order? Do you really wish to return to the old ways?" The gathering of the forest stopped and stared at the wolf. Dipper just nodded, too stunned to speak.

"GreyFang, what are you doing, we can't…"

"Peace, Multi-Bear, peace. We finally have ourselves a true champion of the woods. Aye lad, if you seek my help I will give it. As will we all. Let all creatures of the forest know that a true child of the stars walks these woods once more." The great wolf let loose a long piercing howl. As one the council departed the clearing, leaving Dipper alone with GreyFang the wolf.

"Now then lad, I know you want answers about that beast of a woman, but in truth we don't know much. If you truly want answers you will have to ask the lumberjack. He knows many of her secrets."

Dipper looked crestfallen. "Manly Dan? Great. She probably has him wrapped around her fingers more than anyone."

"Indeed. But know that when the time comes, we will stand beside you, boy. You are one of us now."

"Thank you. It means a lot."

The wolf bowed low, then left without another word, disappearing silently through the trees.

 _OK that went better than I expected. Better head back to town see what everyone is up to._

"Open…rift…save…Dipper…please." Dipper froze as he heard the voice again.

"Where are you? SHOW YOURSELF!" Dipper shouted into the woods.

"Too…weak…time…help…please…save me…her."

"What's going on? What's happening?"

"Hurry Dipper...soon…too…late."

"Just tell me something!"

Around him the forest was silent. The voice was no longer there. _Her again…it sounds like she's in trouble, but I can't open the rift. That's crazy. It has to be Jessica trying to play some kind of mind game._

"I'm not going to fall for it. I'll never open the rift. Never!" He called into the trees as he stared making his way back into town. _Never._

/

Dipper found Pike, Wendy, and Soos leaving Greasy's Diner.

"Hey guys. Where's Mabel and Pacifica?" He asked as he walked over to them.

"Oh, they said they were going to play some mini-golf." Wendy explained.

A terrible cry split the afternoon air, as a large shape blocked the sun, casting a huge shadow on the town below. Fire poured from its jaws, as another cry echoed through the air. They stared at the beast in the skies, an impossibility from a mythic time.

"That's a dragon." Pike stated plainly, a hand pointing at the winged fiend. Around him his companions stood slacked jawed at the spectacle in the air. "THAT. IS. A. _FUCKING_. DRAGON."

Wendy swallowed her rising fear and amazement at the dragon flying through the skies, its fire breath punctuated by resounding roars. "Um guys, I don't mean to sound negative, but do we have a plan for this kind of thing?"

Dipper glanced at Wendy and smiled. "The plan is simple: Find Dragon. Stop Dragon. Save the town. Don't get eaten."

Pike broke out into a wide grin. "I like this plan. I'm happy to be a part of it."

"Um dudes, that doesn't really seem like a plan. But if you dudes think it'll work, Soos is in."

"Wait. Is that seriously the plan?" Wendy asked incredulously.

"More or less, yeah," said Dipper nonchalantly. "Why, you think it's too much?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY? It's a freaking dragon and you're acting like this is an everyday thing. What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Aw, cut the kid some slack Pippy. Do you have a plan for dealing with a tractor trailer sized lizard that breathes fire and flies?" Pike questioned his niece.

"Well, no. But…" Wendy drifted off her eyes still glued to the sky.

"It looks like it's heading toward the mountains on the far side of the valley." Dipper observed. "Now that we have a general idea of where it's at, we need to gear up. Everyone find some kind of weapon, and we're gonna need rock climbing equipment. I'm going to get the Journal and see if Ford has any ideas."

"Also maybe a fire extinguisher. A big one dudes." Soos offered.

"Dip, it's going to be late by the time we get everything we need together. Are we really going to hunt a dragon's lair in the dark?"

Dipper sighed. "No Pike, you're absolutely right. Tonight we prepare, and tomorrow we set out."

/

Jessica stood on the mountain side, staring down at the town far below. _Yes, scurry like the ants you are. I can almost taste the terror from here. Cower in fear at your last day on this earth. Tomorrow you all will feel the beast's fire._

Overhead the dragon roared and shot another blast of fire into the air. It circled the valley once more before flying back towards it's mountain lair and its mistress.

The beast landed beside her, its wings buffeting the air. _**"It feeellss gooodd to flly aggainn. The huummannss rann at the sssightt of mmee."**_

Jessica ran her hand over its scales. "They will try to stop you tomorrow. I want you to make the boy suffer. Make it painful. If anyone else is foolish to come with him, I'll take care of them myself."

" _ **Anndd iff yourr daauggther iss with tthemm?"**_

Energy crackled in Jessica's hand making the dragon flinch from her touch. "My daughter," her voice ringing with a tone of finality, "is NOT to be harmed under any circumstances. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

" _ **Yessss of courrrsse missstrrresss. No harrmm will befalll yourr chillddd."**_

"Good, I'm glad that we understand each other."

/

The early morning sun was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. Far in the distance the rumble of thunder could be heard. Dipper stood on the edge of the forest, looking exhausted. He had spent most of the night combing through his journal for any reference to dragons and come up empty. He tightened his grip on the sword that hung at his side as he looked at his gathered friends. Wendy had a crossbow slung over her shoulder, Mabel was twirling her grappling gun around and Soos' was carrying an industrial size fire extinguisher.

"Wait. Where's Pike?" Dipper asked looking around.

"He said he'd be here, when I talked to him this morning." Wendy said, pulling her phone out to call her uncle again. "And straight to voicemail. Wonder what happened to him?"

"Dudes, are we gonna wait for him? Cause I'm thinking we might need his help."

Dipper looked at the sky. "No, we need to head out now before the dragon can cause any damage."

The group moved into the forest walking single file, nerves tense. The rolling thunder grew more frequent and intense. As they passed through a break in the trees they came upon a large clearing. A roar split the air as the dragon soared into view. The forest began to burn as it belched fire from above.

"Scatter, everybody! Get out of the open." Dipper yelled. Soos', Mabel and Wendy made a break for an outcropping of rock, trying to hide from the flames. Wendy looked over her shoulder to see Dipper hadn't moved. He was just standing, staring at the sky.

"DIPPPERRR!" She cried as her sight of the clearing became blocked by fire.

The great beast landed on the other side of the meadow, flames dripping from its jaws. Dipper drew his sword determination in his eyes. _I am about to fight a dragon. No part of that sentence isn't awesome. I must be crazy._ With a yell he charged the mighty wyrm.

/

The heavens opened, heavy rain quenching the fire's wrath. The two stared at each other across the scorched forest. Raindrops bounced off the dragon's scales, the heat from its body creating a fine fog around it. Dipper stood, soaked to the bone, desperately trying to catch his breath before the beasts next assault.

" _ **Coommme now chhilllddd, give innnto death grrracefulllyyy. I prommmissse you won't sufffferrr."**_ The dragon chuckled throatily.

Dipper leaned heavily on his sword. "You could have finished me off ages ago. You're just toying with me, like a cat plays with a mouse."

" _ **Of courrssse I'mm toying with you. You arrre an inssignifficant pesst. You nevverr stood a chance againsstt me. I will be your destruction Dippperr Pinnnesss."**_ All traces of humor had left the dragons tone. __

A clap of thunder shook the air, a bolt of lightning struck the ground between the two combatants. The flash seemed to signal a return to combat. The great beast using it wings to propel it forward, it closed the distance between the two in a blink of an eye. If Dipper hadn't been expecting the attack and thrown himself out of the way he'd have been sliced to ribbons on the dragons claws.

 _How the hell am I supposed to beat this thing? Even when I manage to get a hit in, the sword just bounces off its scales. I still don't understand my powers at all…the only time I've ever used them I passed out for two days. Plus, where the hell am I going to absorb…magical…I'm an idiot. Well this is either going to work or I'll be dead…let's hope it works._

"Ha, missed again lizard. What's the matter, running on _fumes_? I thought you were my destruction?" Dipper taunted the dragon moving into the dead center of the field.

The dragon took to the air, gazing down at its prey from above. " _ **ITTTSSS TTIMMMEE YOU BBURRRRNNN BBBOOYY!"**_

Dipper watched as fire poured from the dragon's jaws, a raging inferno of white hot flames headed directly for him. _Gulp. Oh Gods, please don't let me be wrong._ Dipper closed his eyes as he felt the heat approach him. He could smell his clothes start to burn from his body, as the air became hard to breathe. But the flames never licked his skin. Opening his eyes, he was coated in a thin layer of silver fire. As he looked himself over, on his chest he saw it. His birthmark. Seven points of intense light directly over his heart. He turned his gaze skyward at the great wyrm. _My turn._

"Wow, and I thought the dragon's fire was supposed to be hot? That was barely a tickle. Can't you do better than that?" Dipper bated the dragon.

With an earsplitting roar the beast dove at him, leaving a trail of smoke and fire behind it. Dipper raised his sword before him, extending the silver aura over the blade. As the dragon rushed towards him, Dipper dived, letting his weapon slash the monster's underbelly. Scales rained upon his head, as his enchanted sword easily cut into the dragon's flesh. The wyrm's cries shifted from rage to that of unimaginable pain. Dipper smirked until he felt a wall slam into his chest and the sensation of being thrown through the air. _Forgot about the tail. This is gonna hurt._ He cringed as he rapidly approached the ground. The air left his lungs as he hit with a resounding thud. _Ohhhhh god. Can't breathe. Can't move._ The silver energy coating his body flickered and waned, the power used up. Pain and fatigue was now moving through his body, a result of his use of the power. The dragon's claws slammed to the ground around Dipper.

" _ **Annny lasssttt wwooorrddssss iinnsseeectttt."**_ The scent of death rolled from the dragon's mouth.

Dipper raised his head weakly before unconsciousness took him.

" _ **Tooo bbbaaadddd bbboyyy, yyouuu alllmosssst maadddee a ffitttinngg fffooee. Enjjjjoyyy Dddeaattthhhh Dippp-"**_ The dragon was cut off as crossbow bolts peppered its exposed underside. The beast looked at its chest in disbelief as it felt the deadly projectiles pierce its heart. With a final cry it curled in on itself collapsing into death throes on the burnt forest floor.

/

Wendy climbed down from her perch in the tree, desperate to get to Dipper's side.

"MABEL! SOOS'! WE NEED TO GET OVER THERE NOW!" Wendy yelled channeling the voice of her father.

The two rose from the spot where they had hidden behind a set of large rocks, safe from the heat of the now extinguished flames. As if the dragons demise signaled an end to the fire, the rain started to lessen becoming no more than a slight drizzle.

"Dipper! We're coming, hold on bro!"

"Yeah dawg, oh man please be ok."

Wendy was the first to reach Dipper, sliding through the mud to reach his still body. She pulled him into her arms, tears streaming down her face. "Damn it dude, why'd you have to go all hero on us? What were you thinking trying to take that thing on by yourself?"

Dipper's body shuddered in her embrace. "I knew…you…had…my…back." Dipper manage to wheeze out.

Wendy's laughter rang out across the desolate field as Mabel and Soos' reached the pair. "You are unbelievable sometimes. Seriously though are you ok?"

Dipper nodded as he struggled to stand. He turned his gaze toward the mountains. _Something is calling me. Something in its lair._ "Yeah. I think I'll be ok. I'm just a little weak. I'm probably gonna need some help with the climbing." He pointed towards a small black dot high on the mountain side.

"We got ya bro-bro. Least we can do after you fought a dragon." Mabel replied lightly punching his arm.

/

It took hours. After several close calls they made it to the cave. The dragon's lair. Dipper stood at the entrance, still feeling a compulsion to go forward. _What is doing that?_ With his friends at his back he moved deeper into the dark. Peering through the dim cavern, he saw it. An egg.

Dipper slowly crept forward, entranced by the onyx egg before him. He tentatively placed a hand on the thick black shell. _It's been infused with rift energy. I can feel it coursing through the egg. What did she do to this thing?_ A tearing sound split the silence. Dipper jumped back quickly, holding his hand to his chest. The four stared at the egg, cracks now forming rapidly across its shell. Wendy brought the crossbow to her shoulder, ready to fire at the first hint of danger. A clawed hand broke free from its prison, flexing in the cool mountain air.

"Oh my god it's hatching; we get to see a baby dragon!" Mabel said bouncing excitedly. "Do you think it will be friendly? I think we should keep it. I wonder if it and Waddles will be friends?"

"MABEL BE QUIET!" Dipper hissed at his sister before turning his attention back to the egg.

Pieces of eggshell began to crumble quiet rapidly now that the baby dragon was actively trying to free itself. Within moments they were staring at a newly hatched dragon the size of a Labrador. Dipper stared as iridescent colors shifted over its black scales. The wyrmling unfurled its wings, fanning them slightly to stretch after being confined to the egg. Wendy's grip tightened on the crossbow, her finger resting on the trigger should the beast attack. The dragon's golden orbs locked on to Dipper's soft brown eyes.

"Please, don't hurt me." A small silvery voice rang out. The dragon eyed the weapon in Wendy's hands fearfully.

Four jaws dropped, this was not what they had been expecting at all. "Awww. It's so cute. Can we keep it please Dipper? I've always wanted a dragon."

The hatchling cringed from Mabel's outburst. "I…I am not a pet. You just want to capture me." The dragons voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper, "or you've come to kill me."

"Oh no dude, it nothing like that. See we ah…help me out here Dipper dude. What are we gonna do with it?" Soos' started to explain, before realizing they had no plan in place.

Wendy lowered the crossbow completely. She crouched down, kneeling to be eye level with the scared baby dragon. "We won't hurt you. We're sorry if we scared you. And nobody here is going to make you go anywhere you don't want to, ok?" Wendy spoke softly and calmly, like she was talking to a frightened child and not a mythical creature.

It let its gaze flicker between Wendy and Dipper. "What about him? He seems…different than the rest of you."

Dipper let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding. "I won't hurt you." He slowly stretched out his hand. "I swear I won't let anybody hurt you."

The dragon's eyes darted between Dipper's face and his outstretched hand. It inched forward and bumped its snout into Dipper's fingers. The pair's eyes shot wide as a spark of energy flared at their contact. Images and memories flowed between the two.

"You…you killed…the red…he's not coming back…I'm safe." Relief was apparent in the dragon's melodious tone. "You saved me." Before anyone could react the dragon launched itself at Dipper, landing on his shoulders with ease despite its size. Dipper's eyes went wide. _Oh my god. I can feel the energy flowing through me. Pure rift energy. Unbelievable, that's what they did to the egg, they made a rift dragon…_ _'Yes Dipper Pines. That is exactly what I am._ Dipper's expression became even more shocked. "I-I heard you…in my head."

The dragon laughed, the sound like wind through chimes. "Of course you can. We are bonded. It was your energy that allowed my egg to finally hatch.

"Bonded? What do you mean bonded? That sounds kinda serious." Wendy asked crossing her arms across her chest.

"It means that I am now tied to Dipper Pines for as long as he lives. Think of me as his partner."

"WHAT?! I…YOU…HE…WHAT?!" Wendy sputtered, red faced.

' _Your mate is very protective of you. I did not mean to cause her distress; I was merely trying to explain.'_

Dippers face went as red as Wendy's.

"Um dragon dude, do you have a name or is dragon like the acceptable thing to call you? Just wanna be sure were on the same page here, if you're gonna be around for a while."

The light from the setting sun caught the dragon's scales sending a cascade of colors on the cave walls. _It's like the northern lights. It's beautiful._

"Aurora. Her name is Aurora." Dipper said simply.

"Ohmygoshshessoprettythisissoamazingareallifedragoneveryoneisgonnafreakoutdipperyouhaveadragonthisissocool."

"Woah there, Hambone. Might wanna breathe."

"Guys its getting late, we need to start to head back unless we want to spend the night in the mountains." Wendy said watching the sun set. "As long as that's ok with Dipper and his new _partner._ "

"Oh come on Wendy, don't be like that." Dipper pleaded.

Aurora leaped from Dipper's shoulders to land on Wendy's back. _'I am sorry Dipper's mate. I can sense how much he means to you and his thoughts of you are ones of pure adoration. I hope that you and I can be eventually be friends._

Wendy turned her head to look at Aurora. "Yeah man, were good. Let's head home guys."

The four companions and the dragon began their descent down the mountain path, as the last light of the setting sun fell behind the trees.

/

Dipper glanced at his phone as it beeped on his nightstand.

 **Hey can you meet me at the lake. I need to tell you something- Wen.**

 _It's kinda late. I wonder what she wants?_ Dipper quietly slipped downstairs, being extra careful not to wake his family or his new dragon friend.

The night was cool and still. The storm had passed hours ago, but the smell of rain still hung in the air. The lake's surface reflected the moon's light casting the forest in a silvery glow.

Glancing around the lake shore Dipper looked for any trace of his girlfriend. "Wendy!" Dipper called out, "I'm here!"

A soft voice spoke from behind him. "Hello Dipper."

Dipper whirled around, his eyes filling with fright as he realized who was with him.

Jessica Corduroy stood at the lakes edge, her raven hair flowing behind her in the wind. She turned to stare at him with hate filled eyes. Silver flames starting to crackle at her fingertips. "I think it's time that you and I had a little talk."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter Ten: Like Michael J. Fox

/

And another one done. Thanks for your patience everyone. Sixty-hour work weeks suck. Thanks for everyone who stopped by for a read.

SHOUT OUTS: **geekngroom,** **fereality, thereader16, NecroticHate, MorgothII, Im So Bored Right Now, NyaNyaKittyFace, Guest, and Guest Reviewer.** Love reading you guys reviews. Please keep them coming. They only fuel me to keep upping the ante.

/

Later Day

Peace


	10. Like Michael J Fox

Chapter 10

Like Michael J. Fox

The wind died. The whole world ceased to move. Dipper stared along the expanse of beach at the woman who had tried to make his life a living hell. She was slowly walking towards him, a smile on her face and hate in her eyes. She slowly clenched and unclenched her fingers as they crackled in silver flames. Terror filled the young boy's stomach the closer she came to him, her lithe figure seemed to radiate malevolence. Barely ten feet from him she stopped, crossing one arm over her chest while the other slowly tapped her chin.

"Dipper Pines. Dipper. Pines. What am I going to do with you? Why can't you just sit back and let the world just fall to pieces? You might have lived a little bit longer that way."

"Wh-what are you planning Jessica? No matter what we will stop you."

Jessica let her smile shift into a grin, teeth flashing in the moonlight. She raised a single finger, and Dipper found himself floating in mid-air unable to move.

"So _you_ intend to stop _me._ You have no idea what I'm capable of, child." Jessica sighed. "I had hoped that you'd see my way of looking at things, but I see that I have no choice but to be rid of you. Poor Wendy, she's going to be so upset. Well, at least while she remembers you."

At the mention of his girlfriend, Dipper increased his struggle at his invisible bonds. No matter what he tried he couldn't free himself, all he could do was stare at Jessica in loathing. "I WILL STOP YOU. YOU HEARTLESS BI-" Dipper felt an unseen force press over his mouth, silencing his protests.

Jessica closed the distance between them, bringing a hand to pat his face. "There, there. Take heart in the fact you won't be around to see the next boy she falls for. Oh, and I wouldn't count on your family to do much either. If anything they're even easier to manipulate."

Jessica raised both hands in front of her, fingers now glowing like stars. Dipper heard a horrible tearing sound from behind him as she stretched her arms wide. He managed to turn his head slightly to stare over his shoulder. His mind flinched. A hole. A hole in reality, right behind him.

"Enjoy whatever hell you land in." Jessica spoke barely above a whisper, casually flicking her fingers at him. Dipper felt his body fly toward the crack in the fabric of space-time.

"WEEEENNNNNDDDDYYYYYY!" Dipper screamed as the breach began to close around him.

The wind died. The whole world ceased to move. Jessica Corduroy stared across the moonlit lake.

"Good-Bye Dipper Pines. You will not be missed."

/

Dipper's mind was assaulted with infinite possibilities of an infinite number of realities as he fell through the rift. _I NEED TO GET BACK! I HAVE TO STOP HER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE._ Dipper concentrated on home, on his friends, on his family. On Wendy.

A light flashed into his eyes blinding him, as he landed on solid ground. Rubbing his eyes to chase away the spots, he noticed he was on a beach by a lake. "I'm hom-." The word stuck in his throat as he took in the blood red sky, and the rottenness of the trees. _Ok Dipper, don't freak out. You landed in a new reality. You just need to figure out what's different and who can help. No problem right? I am so screwed._ With a heavy sigh, he started in the direction of town, completely unaware of the eyes watching him from the forest.

The sound of his shoes slapping the pavement echoed through the empty street. Dipper had been walking downtown for the better part of a half hour and hadn't seen a single person. Every shop was either boarded up, or the windows were smashed in. _Where is everyone…the shops look like they were abandoned years ago. And the houses that I've passed didn't look much better. I wonder what happened in this reality to make them abandon everything._ Dipper felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He slowly spun around, his eyes darting everywhere. He could feel someone, no something watching him.

"Come out! I know you're there!" Dipper shouted, his voice echoing through the empty streets.

A ragged, weathered man crawled out from behind a rusting car. His hair was long and matted, a dirty beard grew on his face. His scraps of clothing revealed a gaunt, withered frame. Shuffling toward the boy he stopped. The old man's eyes narrowed as he croaked out. "Di-Dip-Dipper Pines? Is that you?"

Dipper could only nod. _Who was this old man?_

"You're supposed to be dead." The old man stated simply.

"Um…I'm sorry? Look truth be told I'm not even sure where I am. See I fell through a rift in space-time, now I'm just trying to find someone who can help me get back to my dimension." Dipper explained, trying to sound like he wasn't crazy.

The old man's face split into a grin, which changed his features into someone recognizable.

"PIKE?! Is that you?"

"So she didn't kill you, that's almost a relief, well not really, considering…I hate to tell you this Dipper but you don't need to go back to your dimension. You need to go back to your time."

"What do you mean time?"

"Dipper…you've been gone for almost ten years."

The words hung in the air as Dipper struggled to process this information. _I didn't land in another dimension. I got thrown through time to the future. Ten years._

The events of the night finally caught up to him, he felt his knees give out, as he collapsed in the street.

/

Dipper awoke to the sound of a small crackling fire in the center of an abandoned building. His head was pounding and his skin itched like crazy. Pike was standing in a corner of the room watching his every move. He grinned manically. "HEY MCFLY!" He snorted, pleased at his joke. "I've been waiting hours to say that."

Dipper grimaced at the bad joke.

"You're lucky it was me that found you. There's plenty of other nasty stuff wandering around now that would be happy to eat first and ask questions later. So what's the story kid? How'd you wind up here?"

Dipper was still struggling to grasp the fact that he was in the future. "She-she threw me into the rift. I was drifting…Pike, what happened? Where is everyone?"

Pike's face went cold as he looked away. "We lost kid. You were gone, no one could stop her. She threw the rift wide open. The world went haywire, magic ran wild, creatures like you wouldn't believe everywhere. Hell happened Dipper."

Dipper shuddered. "And our friends? My family?"

"Long gone, or worse. The ones who kept fighting her, she damned them. Used her magic to make them into monsters. Twisted versions of who they used to be."

"But we can save them right, we can- "

"LOOK! IT'S OVER! WE LOST! THERE IS NO SAVING ANYONE!" Rage was etched all over Pike's face. His eyes seemed to glow red in the fire light.

 _His eyes…oh no…oh please no._ "She got you too didn't she?" Dipper asked, slowly backing away. "The one thing you hate more than anything…Stay the hell away from me vampire."

Pike smiled, putting his fangs on full display. "Like I said Dip, we lost. Now I get to live out the rest of eternity in this nightmare she's created."

"Why-Why didn't you bite me while I was asleep? You said you had hours."

"Heh. It's still me in here Dipper. I'm just a little more fangy. Every moment of my existence is pure hell to me. You think I'd make it worse by biting you? Not worth it kid." Pike blew out a deep sigh. "Now what the hell are we gonna do about you?"

"Huh? What do you mean 'do about me'?"

"Kid the fact that you're alive and here right now, it's not going to take her very long to find you. Nothing happens that Jess doesn't know about. And I really don't want to see what she'd do to you." Pike shuddered at the thought. Pike motioned for Dipper to follow him as he made his way outside. "Plus I don't think you could handle it."

Dipper stumbled as his vision blurred, the pounding in his skull growing more intense. "What do you mean I couldn't handle it?" He muttered through gritted teeth.

Pike silently cursed himself for the slip. "Let's just say she looks a little different now and…oh shit. Dipper you need to run right now!"

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Dipper looked in the direction Pike was facing. A large black dragon it's scales shimmering like the northern lights was moving swiftly in their direction. _Aurora…_ A flash of red could be seen waving in the wind over the dragon's shoulder. "Pike is that…?"

"DIPPER YOU NEED TO MOVE NOW! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD RUN!" Pike screamed over his shoulder as he bolted into the cover of the rotten woods.

 _But…it's Wendy. Why would I need to run?_ He forced his legs to move, following Pike deep into the fetid undergrowth. "What the hell man? Is Wendy that pissed- " A hand over his mouth silenced him.

"That's not Wendy."

Dipper forced the hand away. "What the hell do you mean? Who else has hair like that?"

Sorrow was etched in every line of Pike's face. "I keep forgetting that you weren't here. Be thankful that you didn't have to watch it happen. I'm sorry Dip, but Wendy is gone."

"But…but she was…I just saw…" The realization that all his friends and family were truly gone, was starting to hit home.

"Yeah I know. You saw her, but I promise, I swear. No matter what she looks like that is not Wendy."

"Wait, what?"

"We really don't have time for a history lesson kid. We need to move fast before she decides to just burn the woods down around us."

"I'm not moving until you tell me what the hell is going on." Dipper said stubbornly.

A deafening roar echoed around them, signaling the presence of the one who they were running from. "Perhaps I can explain better."

Dipper's mind broke. There stood the girl he loved, looking more beautiful than he could remember. Her bronze hair blowing around her gently in the breeze, her green eyes, piercing his very soul. But her voice, was not the one he remembered. It dripped with malice, with such hate that he swore. Dipper's eyes flew wide. _That's Jessica…oh god…what the hell did she do?_

"See Oliver, I didn't even need to say anything and little Dipper here understands perfectly." She smiled. "Poor Dipper, I never thought I'd see you again. I had a little work done, Do you like?" Jessica said hatefully as she spun in a circle. "It took so much energy to open the rift, I needed a new body. Luckily I had thought to prepare one ages ago. Aren't children grand?"

Every emotion left Dipper's body save one. Rage. His hands clenched into fists hard enough to draw blood from his palms. Wendy was gone, all so this crazy witch could play god. Dipper stared at her, his eyes filled with loathing and contempt. He had nothing left to lose, if this was the future, then he wanted nothing to do with it. "I'm going to end you."

Cold laughter rang out through the night. "Oh… oh you're serious. That's absolutely pathetic. You couldn't even touch me ten years ago. And I'm sure Oliver's filled you in, my power has done nothing but increase since I opened the rift. How could you even possibly think you are a threat to me?"

Dipper smiled, a cold thin smile. "Sometimes, I'm a little slow. It just now clicked that you opened the rift and yes I'm sure that your magic is that much stronger now." Dipper paused, letting his smile grow into a grin. "I can channel rift energy, that's my power Jessica and you've infused it into Every. Single. Thing."

Jessica's face had shifted from confident to cautious. "You're bluffing. No 'Star-Child' has ever been able to handle pure rift energy before."

Dipper took a deep breath and opened his mind, letting the power flow. Silver flames flowed over his skin, brighter than the noontime sun. His headache began to ease as he released some of the built up energy. "I told you I would stop you Jessica, I just wish that I had been able to save everyone." _Time to let it all go. No holding back. This is how it ends._ Dipper closed his eyes and let the energy take him. As he let it go, he pulled more in constantly adding fuel to the ever growing fire.

"Heh, I always knew you had it in you kid. See you on the other side Dip."

"NO! I WILL NOT LOSE TO SOME NOTHING CHILD! NO! NO! N-" Jessica's screams were silenced as the light from the 'Star-Child' went supernova.

 _I'm sorry. I just wish I could have done better._ Dipper could feel his body start to grow weak. He could see nothing but a blinding wall of silver. _If only I had been there. I could have prevented all of this. Wendy…I'm sorry._ And Dipper Pines knew no more.

/

Four children stood in the middle of the woods. Warm sunlight sifted through the leaves, creating a kaleidoscope of green light. A body lay unmoving on a bed of moss.

"Do you think he's DEAD?" The larger boy asked.

"Of course he isn't, stupid. It looks like he's either asleep or unconscious." A young girl with raven hair replied.

"I wonder how he got out here in the first place? I don't think I've ever seen him around town before." A boy with glasses offered.

"Hey, he's dressed like that one guy from the time travel movies. HEY MCFLY!"

Dipper Pines eyes flew open staring at the four teens gathered around him.

"SHUT up Ollie. This is NO time for your SILLY jokes."

"Hey take it easy. Are you ok? Are you hurt at all? My name's Jess. Do you remember how you got out here?"

 _Please let this be a really weird coincidence. Please don't tell me I'm…_

"These are my friends Danny, Jacob, and the little idiot is Oliver. What's your name?"

 _Crap. Double Crap. I am so screwed. First the Future, now the Past. What do I do, what do I do? I can royally change the future just by being here…unless I'm supposed to be here. Shit._

"HELLO, you OK in there KID? Do you think he HIT his HEAD or something guys?" A young Manly Dan Corduroy asked.

"Huh, oh yeah, sorry I was just…yeah I hit my head. So um…how did you guys find me?" Dipper asked. He tried to stand but almost immediately lost his balance. His head still was throbbing after… _NO don't think about it…if I can get home I can fix all of it._

Jessica's hand was on his shoulder. "You need to take it slow ok. You don't want to hurt yourself worse."

Oliver snickered. "Better watch out bro, you might have some competition." _Oh hell no._

Dan didn't even bat an eye as he leveled a backhand into his younger brother's shoulder.

"Look can you just tell me where in the forest I am, I need to get back to town." _And hopefully figure out a way out of this mess._

"Well, the Hut is about 15 minutes that way." Jacob said pointing over his shoulder. "My uncle owns the place."

"The Mystery Shack…" _Shit. Now you've done it._

"Mystery Shack? No it's called the Murder Hut. Although Mystery Shack does sound a lot cooler."

"Yeah Jack, you should totally tell old man Pines to change the name, maybe then more people would start to show up."

"You know what Ollie, maybe I will. Thanks for the idea…wait what's your name kid?"

"Well its getting late. Thanks again for the help. I need to get going." Dipper smiled as he started to make his way past the teens and into the forest. As soon as he was a few feet past them he broke into a run. _I need to get the hell away from them now!_

"Hey WAIT! Wow what a WEIRD kid."

"Yeah Dan, there was something really familiar about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Whatever, Jess. Look are we still gonna go to the caves? You promised." Oliver asked.

Ruffling his hair. "Yeah come on kid, let's go see if we can find these 'Star-Caves' I read about."

/

Dipper was racing through the trees, doing his best to get as far away from those kids as fast as he could. As the trees thinned out Dipper slowed. _Wait…I'm near the wisps pond…maybe I can get some help from him._

/

Night was swiftly approaching, the last rays of the setting sun making the trees cast long shadows. Dipper sat unmoving at the edge of the still pond. He had been waiting hours and still the wisp hadn't shown. "Come on. How long are you going to make me sit here waiting? I need to talk to you damn it."

As the final traces of sunlight faded away, a small orb of light appeared on the pond.

"Finally, man I was half afraid you weren't gonna show. Look I know this is gonna sound crazy but-"

"Dipper Pines. What are you doing here?"

Dipper stopped, taken back, stunned into silence. He stared blinking at the small orb the was glowing like soft starlight.

"How…wait…but...you…what?"

The wisps light began to pulse and grow, moving slowly to the shore. Light flared forcing Dipper to cover his eyes. As the spots receded, the wisp was gone. In its place stood a hunched old man, his eyes twinkling like stars.

"Hehehe. Dipper Pines. I know all my children. Now then, please explain why you are running about the past."

Dipper gulped, knew this man, he would recognize him anywhere. Once again Dipper Pines found himself in the presence of the First 'Star-Child'.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter Eleven: Shooting Star Rising

Wow, we hit the 3000 mark. I never thought I'd even come close to that. You guys freaking rock.

SHOUTOUTS! **NecroticHate, Guest, Im So Bored Right Now, thereader16, Guest Reviewer, NyaNyaKittyFace, fereality, LimboticMistisos, MorgothII, and geekngroom.** Thanks for the reviews. I love getting the feedback.

We are getting close. It will all come to a head soon. You've been warned.

Peace


	11. Shooting Star Rising

Chapter 11

Shooting Star Rising

"Good-Bye Dipper Pines. You will not be missed."

Early morning sun shone through her window, lighting her face, Mabel sat bolt upright. Dipper was in trouble…but she couldn't remember from what. It was right on the tip of her tongue but every time she focused, it blurred away. _Upstairs now._ Launching herself out of bed, she thundered up the stairs to Dipper's bedroom. _Locked. Oh well. Dipper's gonna need a new door._

"I'm coming in bro-bro, I hope you're decent!" Mabel yelled as she leveled a kick at the door. The simple wooden door was no match for a determined Mabel, which, after two well placed blows, fell flat. Mabel rushed into the room, straight into a college-age girl untangling herself from Dipper's bed sheets. The two locked eyes for a fraction of a second, Mabel taking in her messy hair, lack of clothes, and her decided un-Wendyness.

"OK WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN DIPPER'S BED?!" Mabel shrieked, taking a step back.

The young woman before her stretched her arms above her head and yawned, clearly not fully awake. "Huh? What's the matter Mabel?" She looked down at herself. "Oh, sorry. But I just couldn't get comfortable on the bed with my wings. But don't worry it's still me."

Mabel noticed her shimmering black hair highlighted with pink, purple and green streaks. _Holy crap is that really…_ Her thoughts were silenced by a scream from behind her.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, AND WHY ARE YOU NAKED IN MY BOYFRIEND'S ROOM?!

The girl brightened at the sight of the red head, bounced over and locked her into a hug, blissfully unaware of the scene she was causing.

"Good Morning Wendy, I trust you slept well?" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Can you please explain how Mabel changed her skin, I am confused."

Wendy's eyes flew wide. "AURORA! But how are you…not a dragon right now?" Red began to rise in her cheeks as she tried to dislodge the nude, now human, dragon.

"Oh! I was telling Mabel that I couldn't sleep with my wings. So I decided that it would be more convenient this way. Why, did I do something wrong?" Aurora asked, worry in her voice.

"Well no…we just didn't know you could go all human on us…I mean, has Dipper seen you this way?"

"No, he fell asleep downstairs watching the moving picture box, I think. Why? Do you think he won't like me this way?" She asked spinning in a circle.

Wendy felt her face heat up as she averted her eyes. "No probably quite the opposite. OK, first order of business for the day. Explain clothes to the dragon."

"OHHHH! Dragon fashion show! I can't wait!"

"What are clothes?"

"Hey guys, what's everyone doing in my ro-" Dipper's voice trailed off as he came up the steps seeing his girlfriend with a naked young woman hanging around neck. "I'm- I'm gon-gonna go back downstairs."

Mabel snorted into her hands, desperate to control her giggles. "Well that's gonna be a fun conversation. Just make sure it doesn't drag-on."

Wendy rolled her eyes as Mabel collapsed into fits of laughter. Aurora just looked at the pair, totally confused.

/

Wendy made her way downstairs. The utter chaos of trying to explain what clothes were and how to properly wear them had taxed her nerves and left her with a small headache. Even through the walls and floor she could hear Mabel's excited squeals as she played dress up with the dragon. "Dipper we need to talk about Aurora." Silence greeted her. She searched the living room and dining room for her boyfriend. "Dipper? Where'd ya go man?" Walking into the kitchen she saw a note on the counter.

 **Wendy. I'm so sorry about what happened upstairs. Embarrassing. I think it would probably be a good idea if you and Mabel took her to the mall to get some clothes. I really don't think she'll fit into anything Mabel has. Tell Mabel she can use my stash of money, just not to go completely overboard. I'll be running some errands all day trying to track down where the dragons came from. I know life's been crazy lately and we haven't had a whole lot of us time. I will make it up to you, promise. And whatever happens today know that I love you. And I'm sorry.**

 _He…loves me. Even with all weirdness. He loves me._ A single tear rolled down her cheek as a warmth filled her. _I really did find a great guy._

"HEY MABEL!" Wendy called back upstairs. "Just make sure she's decent. Looks like we're going to the mall."

/

Dust mites swirled in the beam of light that squeezed through a crack in the blinds. The room was very dim. Pike noticed all this through the pain of a splitting skull. He tried to stand but found he was bound to a chair. "What the hell?" he slurred. _Oh fuck my head is killing me._ _What gives. Last thing I remember is…Oh shit._ "Alright I know you're here somewhere witch. Come out and let's get this over with."

"Cocky until the end." Jessica drawled into his ear. She ruffled his hair as she came to stand in front of him.

"What do you want Jess? You know I'm not going to help you. And it's completely unlike you to get your hands dirty."

"I needed you out of the way for a while. I had hoped the dragon would finish that pest off, but it seems like I bet on the wrong horse." Jessica leaned back

Pike smirked through the pain. "Heh once again. Beaten by a little kid. I bet that stings."

The slap echoed through the room, as Pike's head was rocked back. "Owww. Ok looks like I struck a nerve there. God that has to suck, all that magic at your fingertips and you can't even get rid of one teenager."

It was Jessica's turn to smirk. "Well I wouldn't say that."

Oliver's blood ran cold. "What did you do Jessica? Where's Dipper?"

"I'm not really sure." She paused for a moment as if to consider the question. Snapping her fingers, she said. "Now I remember. I tossed him into the rift. Your little _hero_ is gone."

"The Rift. You…Rift…Dipper." Oliver's brain struggled to process the horrible news.

"I'm going to make you an offer Ollie. I suggest you take it. Quit fighting me, just leave town. Put it all behind you. Unless, of course, you'd like to pick the winning side."

"Are you serious?"

"Come on little Ollie. It could be like old times." Jessica's words flowed like honey. Pike could feel his thoughts start to cloud.

"You know what, save it. I'll leave."

The disappointment was apparent on Jessica's face. "Sorry Oliver, I wish that I could believe that." She focused her attention on someone behind him. "If he tries anything. Kill him." She leveled one last glare at him before turning and sweeping from the room.

"Ok I'll bite." Pike spoke as he tried craning his head to see behind him. "Who gets to axe me if I misbehave?"

"I REALLY HOPE IT DOESN'T COME TO THAT LITTLE BROTHER."

 _Fuck._

/

The three teenagers made their way through the crowds as Aurora tried to spin her head in every direction, trying to take in all the sites and oddities as they passed by different shops. They had somehow managed to squeeze one of Mabel's sweaters on the dragon, though it really was way too small, especially in the chest region.

Wendy sighed as she led them through the mall.

"We went over this Aurora, if you're going to stay in human form, you have to wear clothes."

"But Wendy, I don't like them. They make my skin all itchy."

"But 'Rora, clothes can be an expression of your moods. They can be so much fun once you find something comfy."

"Those look comfortable." Aurora said, pointing over Wendy's shoulder to a store.

"Well finally something she likes." Wendy said turning around. "Let's go try…Um…maybe we should keep looking."

"But, those clothes look comfy Wendy. Can we go try some on?"

Wendy glance back at the store front one more time, her ears tinged in red. "Um…those really aren't…Mabel help me out here."

Mabel was gripping her sides as her laughter rang out. "I-I can't breathe. This-Oh this is hilarious. 'Rora those particular 'clothes' get worn under your regular clothes."

"More Clothes? Well that's just foolishness. I don't like it." Aurora huffed.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of _shopping_ here Corduroy? You? Buying lingerie? Don't you usually get your underwear from 'Bulk Underpants Outlet?" Pacifica called out as she walked over to the trio of girls.

"Who is this tiny annoying person? I don't think I like her. Wendy make her go away."

"Excuse me? And just who do you think you are?"

"Pacifica, chill ok? This is Aurora. She's a…friend of Dippers. She's not really up to speed on sarcasm and stuff."

"Yeah Paz, I thought you said you were gonna try to be nicer?"

Pacifica's eyes shot to the ground, her voice low with shame. "Sorry Mabel."

"Just try to be nicer. For me please?" Mabel asked her smile twinkling.

"I am once again confused Wendy." Aurora's voice had dropped to the barest whisper. "Is this what normal human courtship looks like?"

"Wait. What? Ok you need to explain this one."

The group was interrupted by two different trilling cell phones.

 **Mabel I'm going to be in town for a visit today. Thought we could have lunch. Meet you at 1. -Mom**

 **Wendy how about a mother/daughter day. Meet me for lunch at 1 – Mom**

"Ok that's super weird. Guess we're gonna have to cut the shopping short Aurora. Looks like Mabel and I have plans.

"Bye Paz. We'll catch ya later."

"Well, later then guys."

As the trio made their way from the mall, Wendy turned to Aurora. "Now what was this about human courtship?"

"Oh…I tend to see relationships, bonds between people. Like how I know that Dipper is your mate."

"Again Aurora, that's not really the right term."

Aurora just waved her hands in the air as if to brush aside the comment. "Any way, the annoying blonde girl apparently feels that way about Mabel."

The resulting silence was deafening. "Mabel, did I do something wrong again? I'm sorry if I overstepped. I didn't mean-"

"Aurora. You and I will discuss this later. Privately." Mabel's tone closed the subject.

/

"MOM! Oh gosh I missed you so much! What brings you to town today? Have you talked to Dipper? Did you see the Grunkles? Oh I'm just so happy to see you!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly, crushing her mother in a hug.

"I'm glad to see you too sweetie. Have you been having a good summer? Been staying out of trouble?" Meredith gazed at her daughter with knowing eyes.

"Well I mean, what's trouble really? I haven't broken any laws or anything if that's what you're asking mom."

Meredith sighed. "I just want to know that you kids are doing ok. I know that you and your brother get up to all kinds of craziness, but I still worry."

"Oh mom, me and Dip we're good. I mean we miss you and Dad like crazy, but it honestly feels like home here."

Meredith smiled at her daughter. "So no problems then?"

The bell at the door of the diner chimed, signaling the arrival of new customers.

"Honestly Wendy, I could never understand the appeal of diner food."

"Well mom it's just so bad for you it's so good. Hey look its Mabel and her mom."

The temperature of the room seemed to drop ten degrees, as the two women locked eyes.

"Meredith, how lovely to see you. I didn't realize you were going to be in town or else I would have planned something _special_ for you."

"Oh Jess, I'm only passing through town on business, I won't be very long. I just wanted to check on the kids. You _know_ how frustrating it can be if you don't see them for a while."

"Merry, don't be silly. You know I would love to _catch up_ with all my old friends. May we join you for lunch?"

"Umm Mabel." Wendy spoke in a hushed voice to her friend. "Is it me or do you sense like some hostility here?"

"No, I'm kinda getting that girl fight vibe as well." Mabel whispered back.

"Maybe some other time Jess. I have some things I need to talk to my children about. I wish I had the time. It would be so interesting to know what you've been up to all these years."

"Well I hope that you find Dipper, you know how easy it is to get lost out in those woods. You just seem to forget about the time."

"Well we really must be going. It was good seeing you again Jessica. I hope that we can get together soon."

"Of course Meredith, say hello to Jacob for me."

Meredith and Mabel smiled as they slipped out of the diner and in search of Dipper.

/

The sun was bright, even filtered through the canopy of green. The air held a stillness that hinted at a coming summer storm. "DIPPER! You out here Bro-Bro?" Mabel called from the base of the giant tree. No answer came from the treehouse above. _Weird, he wasn't at home, the shack, or out here. He isn't answering his phone either. Too bad mom had to leave before she saw him. I hope he's ok._ Worry began to eat at her stomach, what if something got him? A soft voice from nowhere distracted her from thinking more about her brother.

"Mabel Pines…I've been waiting for you. It is time to embrace your gift. Are you ready?"

"Who-who said that? Come out where I can see you. Jeff I swear if that's you, I'm gonna punt you into next week."

A figure shimmered into being in front of her. Mabel tensed in fear, but relaxed quickly as she felt no malice from the apparition.

"Mabel, sweet child. You look so much like your mother did at that age."

"Well yeah I'm adorable and wait…my mom?"

"Yes, it was over 20 years ago that she stood where you do now. I am pleased that I get to meet Meredith's daughter."

"Woah slow down for a second. MY mother. My everyday ho-hum mother knew about the other side of Gravity Falls? The woman who made sure we stopped believing in Santa? Are you sure you got the right girl?"

The spirt chuckled, her laughter like the rustling of leaves. "You would be surprised at how much the two of you are alike."

"So you said something about a gift. Like presents? Cause my birthday isn't for a few weeks. And if it's the other type of gift, then you've got the wrong twin. You want Dipper, he's the one all loaded up on Destiny stuff."

"I have already spoken to your brother. He was the one to free me from my prison. Do you really think that he alone would have a destiny? You are Meredith Sage's daughter; you are destined to See just as she does.

"See? Like a Seer? So like mom is a psychic? OMG I'm gonna be in so much trouble if she starts looking into all the things…"

"Mabel, child, please my time here is short. I'll keep this to the short version since you are so easily distracted. Are you ready to have your eyes fully opened? The gift of sight can be a troubling one.

"I…will it help me keep my friends safe?"

"Yes, but be warned. The Visions that you receive are open to interpretation, sometimes you may not even be able to distinguish them from normal dreams. They are by no means infallible."

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Brace yourself child."

 _ **A hunched man bent over a work table, Random objects scattered everywhere.**_

 _ **A woman sat surrounded by gnomes. A crown resting upon her brow.**_

 _ **A loud roar shakes the forest as a T-rex makes his way through the trees.**_

 _ **Shimmering blonde, tangled in chestnut. Two young lovers.**_

 _ **Nails on a chalkboard. A horribly burned figure.**_

 _ **Two heads wreathed in flame. Both claim to be real.**_

 _ **Yellow, yellow everywhere. See you soon Shooting Star.**_

"What the hell was that? What did I just see?" Mabel had fallen to her knees, the force of the visions knocking her over.

"The visions are yours and yours alone. The events that you saw may take years to come to pass or not at all."

"But how will I know?"

"As you grow, so too will your gift. I must go child, my time is at an end. I am honored to have met you Mabel Pines."

"But wait, you never even told me your name."

"Silly child. I am the Lady of the Forest."

And with a gust of wind the spirit faded, finally having accomplished it mission. Mabel stared into the trees wishing she had had more time. _I better get back to town. Maybe Dippers there now. Wish I could use this gift to see that._

/

"JESSICA CORDUROY!" The cry rang through the streets of town.

Jessica paused. _That's not possible._

"I BELIEVE THAT YOU AND I HAVE SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS TO DISCUSS!"

Wendy watched as hate crept its way into every line of her mother's face. "Mom, what's wrong?"

 _WHY WON'T HE JUST DIE?_

/

Dipper stood facing the First. He had just finished explaining how he had fallen into the rift, and the horrible future that awaited them if he couldn't find a way back to his own time. The wizened old man had listened patiently, without interruption and now cast his head back to stare at the stars above.

"I can send you back to your own time without much trouble. However, I feel that to send you back now would be unwise. You are not prepared to face a 'Fallen Star'. You need a plan Dipper Pines, one that doesn't rely on the power you have been given."

"But how can I stand against her if I don't use the rift energy?"

"You are a smart boy, innovative. Surely, in all your adventures you have come across tools that would be useful. Take a few days to rest your mind young one. Travel through the rift is stressful on both the mind and the body. Use that time to think. To make your plan. When you are prepared I will send you home."

"But…won't I change the future by being here? I don't want to screw things up."

The old man smiled. "If you are here now, then you are meant to be here. You know not to do anything drastic. Your timeline will not change. It will all be well." Light began to coalesce around the old man, once again blinding Dipper. When he was able to see again, Dipper was alone.

"Hey wait! Where am I supposed to stay? Great…guess I'm roughing it in the woods."

Dipper found a comfortable spot in the hollow of an old tree, settling himself down for the night.

 _A plan huh? Great let's list all the seemingly impossible things I have to do. 1. Convince everyone Jess is evil. 2. Stop said witch from opening the rift. 3. Figure out how to neutralize her magic. 4. Don't die. 5. Do all this without using my powers, apparently. 6. Handle the fallout of Wendy learning her mom is a heartless bitch. Oh yeah I've run across all kinds of things…that…would…wait._ The gears in Dippers mind were already moving. Seemingly random pieces fit together to form a plan. _If I used him…and with that…the hair…make a bracelet…Pike's binding ritual…It'll be complicated…but it might work…it will work…I'll need to fine tune it. Double check everything. But yeah that's not half bad. That's actually pretty solid. Now all I need is a little luck._

As Dipper started to drift into sleep he heard a voice whisper in the dark. "Good luck child. I will be watching."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter Twelve. The Life And Death Of Dipper Pines.

/

NEVER MESS WITH THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM UNLESS A DELOREAN AND A FLUX CAPACITOR ARE INVOLVED. That concludes your weekly PSA.

SHOUTOUTS! **Fereality, Im So Bored Right Now, NyaNyaKittyFace, Guest, thereader16, LimboticMistisos, MorgothII, and Guest Reviewer.** As always thanks you guys for taking time to send me a review.

/

Peace


	12. The Life And Death Of Dipper Pines

Chapter Twelve

The Life And Death Of Dipper Pines

The sky was an inky black blanket, shining dots of silver woven in the tapestry of night. The full moon hung low, bathing the forest in a soft pearl light. A young woman stood at the edge of the lake, the night breeze catching her hair, pulling it into the wind behind her. _I always loved this view. It's a shame that it will all be gone in a few days. Ah well, that's the trouble with opening a permanent hole in time and space._ Jessica smiled at the thought of the unrestrained magic that would soon be flowing through the world. _MY new world. And with that pesky 'Star-Child' out of the way, no one can stop me._

"Good-Bye Dipper Pines. You will not be missed."

Jessica turned away from the lake, striding across the beach to where a large, imposing man stood waiting for her.

"We can go home now, my love." She purred, running her fingers through his thick red beard. "The boy will no longer be a problem."

"YES, I SAW. WOULDN'T IT HAVE JUST BEEN EASIER TO SIMPLY KILL HIM?"

"Oh Daniel, where would the fun be in that? This way the very thing that he was supposed to protect will be his undoing." Jessica smiled at the irony. "Plus, it'll be that much more satisfying when I rub it in that annoying little wisp's face."

"YOU KNOW BEST MY DARLING."

"Yes, yes I do. You know, I really like you this way, completely loyal. I'm glad I took the time to finally strip away that little bit of resistance you had left." Jessica sighed. "There still is the matter of your brother to deal with."

"OLIVER IS BARELY A THREAT. MORE OF A NUISANCE REALLY." Manly Dan smirked. "I DOUBT I WOULD EVEN HAVE TO EXERT MYSELF TO TAKE CARE OF HIM."

"No Daniel. I would rather keep him alive. Your brother is hiding something from me, and it frustrates me that I can't find it in the corners of his memories. No, let me see if I can persuade him first. If he doesn't cooperate, then you can kill him."

"GOOD, I'VE BEEN WAITING SEVENTEEN YEARS FOR YOU TO SAY THAT."

"Aww, sweetheart are you still upset about that? Well, I guess you do have a right to be mad. I mean it was our wedding day."

Manly Dan's hands twisted and wrung the air, as his face contorted with rage. Jessica's laughter echoed through the forest.

"To be fair Daniel, you wouldn't be any the wiser of it, if I hadn't put that memory back into your head. Poor little Ollie still doesn't remember why he really ran away all those years ago."

"AM I ALLOWED TO TELL HIM? BEFORE I KILL HIM?"

"No…I don't think so. It might give him a reason to try a little harder. It's for the best if he remains in the dark. But enough of this, I'd like to go home now. Tomorrow will be such a busy day; after all, the end of the world doesn't come around too often."

The pair made the rest of the way to the truck in silence. Both lost in thought at what the dawn of the coming day would bring.

The cry of the lake loon echoed off the cliff walls, the wind blew softly through the reeds growing in the shallows, the drone of the insects all blending together to form a symphony of a summer night. Dipper Pines strode from beneath the trees. _Wow. The First wasn't kidding when he said he could send me back to the moment I left. Alright I've got the element of surprise on my side. It's time to get to work._

/

Dipper made his way into the house just after midnight. _Wow…two hours that's all the time that's passed since I left. Weird._ He paused as he softly closed the door behind him, holding his breath while listening to see if he had woken anyone. _Ok. Looks like nobody noticed I was gone._ He nearly jumped out of his skin as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Dipper Pines, I could not find you. I was worried." In the darkness of the room he recognized the voice, but the hand threw him off.

"Aurora? Is that you?" Dipper whispered, trying to calm his heart rate down. "Whose hand is on my shoulder?"

"It is my hand. Whose hand were you expecting?" Aurora inquired.

"Wait…your hand? How do you have hands?"

"I couldn't get comfortable sleeping in your bed with my wings, so I decided that it would be better to sleep as a human does. I could not find you. Where did you disappear to?"

"Hold on, time out. You can become human?"

"Yes. All dragons can shift their shape this way. It makes it easier to blend in. People tend to overreact to a dragon."

"Oh…I guess that makes sense."

Aurora's arm slid around Dipper, pulling him close to her. "I am glad that you are safe." She murmured as she held him tightly. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…I…no. No I'm a little freaked out. Make that a lot freaked out."

"Yes, I can sense it. Do you wish to talk about it or would you prefer to let me experience your memories through our bond?"

"No Aurora, you don't need to see that. Look the next day or so is going to be pretty intense. I know it's a lot to ask, but no matter what happens, you have to trust that I know what I'm doing. Even if things seem dire, just please trust me that I have a plan. You know I would do anything to protect my family and friends, and right now what I intend to do is the only way I know of to keep them safe."

"But…" Aurora squeezed him tighter against her. "What about after…What about your sister, about Wendy, about me? What are we supposed to do?" Her voice quavered.

"I know you're peeking into my head and I wish I could explain everything to you, but it's for your own safety if you don't know everything. I will need your help to make this work but you have to wait until I give you a signal. Until then don't interfere, no matter what you see."

"You are playing a dangerous game, Dipper Pines. You are hinging much on maybes. But I do trust you, completely. I will do as you ask."

Dipper let out a long sigh. "Thanks Aurora. You should probably go back to sleep; tomorrow is going to be a big day."

She moved from behind him, making her way to the stairs silently, the darkness hiding her from sight. "You need rest as well. Be well Dipper Pines, I will pray for you."

In the darkness he heard her creep quietly up the stairs. _Well, that went better than I expected._ He turned and made his way toward the basement. _I really hope Ford didn't throw out what I'm looking for._ Dipper spent most of the night going through various boxes in the basement looking for the items he needed. At around 3 he finally managed to dig the last thing he needed from the last box. Exhausted he fell into a deep slumber on the sofa.

/

Wendy's scream from upstairs caused Dipper to sit up on the sofa. _What's up with…oh it's probably them freaking out over Aurora. Better go defuse that situation._ He climbed the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Hey guys, what's everyone doing in my ro-" _HOLY CRAP SHE'S NAKED! Was she naked last night? Quit staring!_ Face blood red, he managed to stammer out. "I'm-I'm gon-gonna go back downstairs." He quickly turned and raced back the way he had come. _Great, now I've probably upset Wendy. Idiot. I don't have time to talk this out today. Too much to do. But I had better apologize._

 **Wendy. I'm so sorry about what happened upstairs. Embarrassing. I think it would probably be a good idea if you and Mabel took her to the mall to get some clothes. I really don't think she'll fit into anything Mabel has. Tell Mabel she can use my stash of money, just not to go completely overboard. I'll be running some errands all day trying to track down where the dragons came from. I know life's been crazy lately and we haven't had a whole lot of us time. I will make it up to you, promise. And whatever happens today know that I love you. And I'm sorry.**

 _There. Hopefully that's ok. I'll have to talk to her about it later…along with the stuff about her mom. Gods it just keeps getting better._

A soft trill from his phone brought him out of his reverie.

 **Hello Dipper, can you please meet me I need to speak to you urgently. -Mom**

 **Mom, what are you doing in town? You should have called…I kinda have plans. -Dip**

 **Miles Dipper Pines I need to speak to you NOW. Meet me at Greasy's diner in 15 min or grounding will be the least of your worries. -Mom**

 **Yes Ma'am. On my way -Dip**

 _Great and the list grows on._

/

Dipper stood outside the diner, his trepidation steadily growing. Swallowing his nerves, he pushed open the door and made his way to the booth where his mother sat, a look of deep concern on her face.

"Hi mom, so what did you need to talk about that you had to sneak into town for?"

"What do you think you're doing young man?"

"I'm…sorry? But I don't know what-"

"When we agreed to let you stay in Gravity Falls you said that you would be careful."

"Mom I am. Everything is-"

"Tangling with Jessica Corduroy is not being careful."

"I…wait...but how do you…what?"

Meredith Pines sighed. "I know you don't really have a choice in the matter, I just wish that my baby boy could have at least grown up a little before he had to deal with something like this."

"Mom. How the hell do you know all this?"

"Language. Did you really think that your father's family had the lock on weird? I grew up in Gravity Falls too you know. My family comes from a long line of mystics, of seers."

Dippers jaw hung open as he stared at his mother speechless.

"Close your mouth sweetheart, you'll draw flies. Is it really that surprising Miles, granted I don't really see to many big events anymore, but how do you think I always seemed to know when you and your sister were in trouble or had a bad day or when the two of you were up to mischief."

"But how come you never said anything before? I mean mom, that's so cool."

"It can be yes, I just hope your sister sees it that way."

"Wait you mean Mabel can see stuff too?"

"Well not yet and that will really be up to her if she accepts. And also it will be up to you."

"Me…wait why is it up to me?"

Meredith smiled. "I think that before you go running off to do your _errands_ you should maybe swing by your little treehouse. I think it will be worth the time."

"Ok no offense mom, but that's a little creepy like you know what's going to happen."

"Oh sweetie. I do. Mostly. The big events are always open to interpretation, plus the whole free will thing, sometimes the things I see never come to pass."

"Wow…and I thought I had the weird destiny."

"You should probably hurry along son." Meredith's eyes started to mist up. "Thank you for coming to see me Miles, I just wanted to say I love you."

"I love you too mom." _Crap. She probably saw…crap._ "Mom, I'm sorry that I worried you."

"I know Dipper, I just wish it didn't have to be that way. Now go on. You've got a world to save."

With a sad smile Dipper rose from the booth and gave his mother a swift hug, before he ran from the diner and into the woods. _One more stop and then it begins._

/

Dipper approached the treehouse slowly. His mind was still trying to process the fact that his mother was a seer, and that Mabel had the potential to become one as well.

"Dip…Pleas…Relea…Me"

"Ugh, you again. I already told you I'm not…wait a minute. Do you know my mother?"

"Mere…Sage…Yes"

"OK seriously mom couldn't you have just said go free the weird spirit in the woods instead of getting my anxiety up. Alright so how do I do this?" Dipper asked the spirit.

"Pull…energy…directly…rift…open"

"Crap, I really hope Jessica doesn't feel this." Dipper closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. He pictured the rift in front of him, its energy weaving together like a tapestry. He let a small amount of energy trickle into his palms as he grasped the air in front of him, and pulled. Opening his eyes, he was once again confronted with a hole in reality, but this time it was of his own creation. "Woah…that's amazing…I feel like…like a god."

"Be careful with that line of thought Dipper Pines, that way lies darkness." A voice like the rustling of leaves spoke from behind him.

"Oh um yeah…sorry. It's just that's the first time I've ever done anything like this…how do I close it?" Dipper called over his shoulder, his eyes still trained on the crack in space time.

"For you it should be fairly simple. Just draw the excess energy into yourself as you normally do. The rift should close just fine, child."

Dipper felt the surge of power in his limbs as the rift energy entered his body. "It's getting easier to control… but let me guess? That's a bad thing too." Dipper asked finally turning to face the spirit he had freed.

"No child, your power is what you make of it. Just remember that it is for the forest's protection, never for your gain."

"Yeah I know that…sorry I don't mean to snap I just have a lot on my mind."

"It is understandable, with the burden you bear. Thank you for freeing me from my confinement Dipper Pines."

Dipper turned to go, he still had to one more stop before he could confront Jessica. "Yeah no problem, sorry it took me so long, I just thought you were someone else."

"Good luck Dipper Pines. I know that it is no easy thing you do to save your friends."

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Dipper turned and made his way deeper into the woods.

/

 _Fuck._

Manly Dan Corduroy moved from behind Pike to stand in front of him, a double bitted logging axe held tightly in his hands. The older brother stared at the younger, loathing in his eyes. "I ALMOST HOPE YOU TRY SOMETHING."

"Wow…that anxious to kill your kid brother? Well I'm really in no hurry to die." Pike drawled. "So I guess I'm just gonna have to sit here and behave."

Dan narrowed his eyes at the bound man. "YOU, BEHAVE? NOW I KNOW YOU'RE UP TO SOMETHING."

"No, I think I'm just gonna sit here. Well, make that sit here watch you twitch as you struggle to follow that demon witch's instructions."

"DO NOT SPEAK OF HER THAT WAY!"

"Oh, my. I seem to have upset you. Terribly sorry. It wasn't my intention to imply that your wife is somehow a truly manipulative bitch. I'm just sitting here, not trying anything."

"OLIVER I SWEAR, IF YOU INSULT HER ONE MORE TIME I WILL-"

"Not do what you want to. I know you'd like nothing more than to sink that axe right in my chest; but your whore of a wife made it perfectly clear, you can't kill me unless I try something."

The axe passed less than a hairs breadth from Pike's face, before sinking into the floor.

"You missed." That was when the air was knocked from his lungs as a fist the size of a cinderblock came crashing into his stomach.

"I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO KILL YOU, BUT SHE NEVER SAID I COULDN'T BEAT THE EVERLIVING HELL OUT OF YOU."

"Was that supposed to tickle?" Pike wheezed. "Cause that kinda tickled."

A back hand to the face had Pike seeing stars.

"YOU NEVER DID KNOW WHEN TO SHUT YOUR MOUTH. ALWAYS WITH A JOKE. TELL ME LITTLE BROTHER, IS IT FUNNY NOW?"

A short barking laugh escaped Pike's lips. "Heh. You hit like a gnome."

Fury was etched into Daniel's face. His hand twitched toward the handle of his axe.

"Ah-ah-ah. Remember, mom said you couldn't play with your toys until she said so." Dan's hand dropped back to his side clenched in rage. "God, you are so whipped. It's really pathetic, even if it is a total magical mind fuck."

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH OLIVER. I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL FUCKING END YOU."

"Promises, promises."

The blow rocked Pike's head back, he could feel the blood flow from his mouth. _OK. That one really did hurt. IF it's gonna be this way, maybe I should fill Danny boy in on who he's actually dealing with._ A maniacal grin spread across Pike's face as he turned back toward his brother. The burning intensity in his eyes had Dan take a step back.

"You really do just see me as a screw-up don't you? Every time I come home 'Oh, it's just Oliver, the lazy mechanic, wonder what trouble he's in now'." The sarcasm that seeped through his voice was biting. "How do you think I knew about the binding ritual in the first place Danny? While you stayed here in town guarding your _precious secrets_ , I was out in the world making a fucking difference. You really think Jessica is gonna win? She doesn't stand a chance. Because if Dipper really is gone, then it falls on me. Playtime is over big brother. You wanna fight, you got one."

Manly Dan Corduroy was known far and wide for being one of the strongest lumberjacks to ever grace God's green earth. The man who could fell all but the oldest oaks in a single blow of an axe. The man who could wrestle bears, and run with Man-o-taurs. The man who had grown up knowing that Gravity Falls and the world beyond were full of strange, unimaginable things. But all these facts could not prepare him for a seemingly simple thing. The blow that had been launched at his miserable, smartass brother's face never connected. It had been caught.

"WHAA-GGGGHHHH!" The question that was forming in Dan's mind never left his lips, as Pike slowly applied pressure to his brother's trapped hand.

"I really don't want to do this Danny. I know that not all of this is you, that she's messed with your head something bad. But if you don't stand down and stay out of the way, I will put you down." Pike said, his tone flat and emotionless.

"WELL SINCE YOU SEEM TO BE TRYING SOMETHING, I GUESS THAT MEANS I DON'T NEED TO HOLD BACK ANYTHING EITHER." Dan bellowed as he swung his free hand into Pike's midsection. The force of the punch sent Pike flying backwards, tumbling over the chair he had been tied to. Pike turned the fall into a roll, immediately bouncing to his feet, just in time to dodge an axe swing leveled at his neck.

 _Fuck._

/

Jessica stormed from the diner, murderous intent in her eyes. _That boy is really starting to annoy me. I don't know how he managed to come back. But I swear Dipper Pines DIES today._

"Mom? Where are you going?" Wendy called after her mother.

Jessica paid her no heed as she dashed down the street, her raven hair billowing in her wake. She gathered the magic in her fingertips, so intent on her objective, she did not care who saw. _I will tear that little brat in two._

"Mom! Wait up! What's going on?"

"Not now Wendy!" Jessica snarled at her daughter. "I need to go have a talk with your little boyfriend."

"Woah…mom…your hands…"

Jessica wheeled about facing Wendy. "Now really isn't the time, Gwendolyn. Why don't you run along and see if you can find your little friends. Don't worry about me, everything is going to be fine, as soon as I deal with a troublesome pest." Jessica's words flowed smooth as silk.

Wendy's eyes clouded briefly as the words took hold on her mind. "Oh, OK mom. Yeah maybe I can see if the girls still want to go shopping. Or if Dipper's done with his errands, maybe he wants to watch a movie."

"NO! Stay away from that Pines brat! This has gone on long enough, Wendy you will not see him anymore."

Wendy stood mouth agape at her mother's outburst. "What? No, I'm not going to stop seeing Dipper. What's wrong with you, mom? He's my boyfriend." Wendy anger burning through Jessica's subtle manipulations. "I'm not going to stop seeing him just because you say so."

A low growl escaped the Corduroy mother. "I will deal with you later, young lady. I don't think I like this rebellious streak you've developed, it's too much like your father's. Just as soon as I'm done with Dip-."

"JESSICA CORDUROY! I'M WAITING!" The call echoed through the streets, pulling at the attention of the townsfolk.

Once again Jessica, was moving toward the center of town, drawn to the source of her frustrations.She sent out a call with her mind, a summons. _DANIEL, I HAVE NEED OF YOU. COME TO ME NOW. I think that my lumberjack should be more than enough to take care of one lone Pine. I can only imagine the look on his face as he's chopped down._ So focused was Jessica on her goal, she failed to realize that Wendy was still following her.

/

Mabel had just reached the edge of the woods when she heard the cry.

"I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO END THIS? ARE YOU AFRAID? COME OUT AND FACE ME!"

 _That's Dipper. Who the heck is he screaming at that I can hear him way out hear? I better hurry, this sounds serious._ Before the young girl could take two steps she was driven to her knees for the second time that day as a vision overtook her.

 _ **Two figures stand locked in combat, a knife held in their hands.**_

 _ **The clouds churn as the sky rips in two.**_

 _ **A flash of steel, the blood begins to flow.**_

 _ **A smile rests on the young boys face, as his opponent raises their hands in triumph.**_

" _ **Just let me go Mabel, it needs to be this way."**_

Slowly the world came back to her, as tears streamed down her cheeks. _NO! I won't let it happen. Please hold on Dip. I'm coming._ Adrenaline fueled by fear coursed through her body, as she rushed into town, desperate to save her brother.

/

"Come on Danny put the axe down and we finish this as God intended, sportsman like. Though I think the odds are slightly in your favor." Pike quipped as he ducked another wild swing of Dan's weapon.

"YOU CAN ONLY DANCE FOR SO LONG, BEFORE I SPLIT YOUR SKULL IN TWO!" Dan yelled as the axe head buried deep in the wall.

Pike rushed in, delivering a flurry of blows driving Dan back towards the door. Dan rolled back onto one leg, looking like the force of Pike's punches would topple him. "You? Beat me? Inconceivable!" Just as Pike was to deliver a blow to the jaw Dan rocked back forward, wrapping Pike in a rib crushing bear hug.

"Oh shit." The air was slowly driven from Pike's lungs as the steel like arms slowly constricted.

"LET'S SEE HOW MUCH IT'LL TAKE BEFORE YOU POP." Crack. The sound of a rib breaking echoed through the room.

 _I need to get out of this now. He squeezes anymore that rib is gonna puncture my lungs. Time to fight dirty._

"He-y D-anny, Why do you thi-nk she di-dn't want to kill me?" Pike managed to wheeze out. "May-be she just wa-nted a re-al man arou-nd."

Dan's eyes shot wide. "WHAT DID YOU SAY? SHE SAID YOU DIDN'T REME-." Dan stopped as Jessica's voice overrode his thoughts. _I have need of you. Come to me now._ "LOOKS LIKE YOU GET TO LIVE A LITTLE LONGER. TIME FOR A NAP I THINK." Pikes body was hurled against the wall, his head bouncing hard from the impact.

His vision blurred as he slid to the ground, focusing enough to see the lumbering form of his brother leave him behind as he left the room.

 _Crap. I need to follow him, but this rib needs attention. Shit, I've had worse. Let's go crash a party._

Using the wall to leverage himself to his feet, Pike stumbled through the door after his brother.

/

The sky had turned an ominous shade of gray, heavy clouds concealing the sun. A strange eerie quiet had descended over the town, only to be shattered once again by the young man standing in the center of the town square.

"THIS ENDS TODAY!"

Dipper's shout rang throughout the town, the words echoing into the woods beyond. A small crowd had begun to gather, curious as to why he was bellowing into the evening air.

 _Where is she? Does she know this is a trap? No, I made sure nobody knows what I'm doing._ Dipper stretched the last bit of stiffness from his joints. _Did not expect this many people…I'll need to keep her focused on me so they don't get hurt._ He felt the familiar tingling of magic in the air. _Showtime._

The crowd parted as Jessica made her way down the streets, her hands blazing energy. Absolute loathing twisted her features as she stared Dipper down.

"You shouldn't be here, you should be lost in the rift, dying in some god forsaken dimension."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't die so easily," said Dipper with a grin.

"We will see about that." Jessica's voice dripped venom as she hurled a bolt of fire directly at Dipper. The flames died before they could even touch his skin.

He smirked at her. "Is that really the best you can do?"

Jessica shrieked in rage as she hurled bolt after bolt at the boy, her anger only making her attacks stronger. But they all fizzled into nothingness.

"How. Are. You. Doing. This." Each word was punctuated by another failed fire ball. "You are a nothing, just a little kid. You should be extra crispy by now."

"Looks like you're going to have to get your hands dirty if you want me gone." Dipper had assumed a position of complete relaxation. _OH THANK GOD ITS WORKING._

Jessica smiled and let her hands drop to her sides, as she heard someone bull his way through the crowd. "Or I could just have someone do it for me. Dipper you remember my husband don't you?" She indicated to the giant lumberjack who had just shouldered his way through the crowd. "Sweetie, do me a teensy, tiny favor and kill that little annoyance."

"WITH PLEASURE." Manly Dan strode toward Dipper, axe gripped tightly in his hands.

 _OK this was not part of the plan._

/

Wendy stood transfixed in horror as her mother began to hurl fireballs at Dipper. All sound faded out as she stared at the impossible scene before her. _This isn't happening. This can't be happening. How is she doing that? Why would she attack Dipper? Oh god what do I do?_ The anxiety that Wendy normally kept buried deep came rearing its head as her boyfriend and her mother stood in the middle of the street hurling magic at each other. _Someone needs to do something. I need to do something. Is that…oh thank God dad's here, he'll put a stop to…why is he moving towards Dipper? And why does he have his axe? NOOOO._

"NOOOO!"

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Wendy watched the axe descend toward Dipper's head.

/

Clap. The bladed of the axe stopped its descent as it was trapped between a pair of hands.

"YOU!"

"Oh come now Danny boy, fighting children? Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" Pike flung the axe down into the concrete. One arm wrapped protectively around his chest. "I believe that I was in the middle of kicking your butt before you ran off. Perhaps you'd like to finish."

"YOU SURE SEEM ANXIOUS TO DIE, LITTLE BROTHER."

"Daniel dear, don't take too long with that idiot. You still have Dipper to deal with."

Pike raised a single finger salute in defiance.

Daniel charged, shouting a deafening roar, directly into an uppercut. Dan's eyes glossed over as he swayed on his feet, before toppling with a mighty crash.

"Wow…glass jaw. Who knew? Pike stood looking down at his brother's unconscious body. "Now it's your turn Jess-oh shit no."

While Dan had charged Pike, Jessica had rushed Dipper burying a knife into his chest.

"I think this will take care of you." Jessica whispered into Dipper's ear. "So ends the light of another star." Dipper grasped at Jessica's wrist, his hands fumbling wildly. The light in his eyes dimmed as gravity pulled his body to the ground. Jessica stood arms raised to the sky as the clouds began to echo with the rumble of thunder. _No one can stop me now. Let the rift finally be opened._ Nothing. No glow encased her skin, no energy crackled at her fingertips. The magic was gone. She turned to face the boy, who lay dying in the street. A smile plastered on his face as he choked out the simple phrase.

"I win."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter Thirteen. Into The Light.

/

Ok I know I've said it before. I know I'm gonna say it again. Thank you. All of you who read this. It really does make my day just to see the views climb, but it really makes my week that you guys take the time to review, so SHOUTOUTS!

Thank you to **Geekngroom, fereality, Really Bored Guy, Guest, MorgothII, thereader16, LimboticMistisos, NecroticHate,** and **Ilikecartoonsandzombies.** You guys are awesome.


	13. Into The Light

" _ **To die would be a grand adventure."-Hook**_

Chapter Thirteen

Into The Light

The sky was a churning swirl of heavy gray clouds, thunder rumbling in the distance. It seemed like the world had been leeched of its vibrancy, everything had become somber and muted. Mabel Pines rushed through the streets of Gravity Falls, intent on saving her brother's life. _I can't be too late. He's still alive. I know he is._ A small sea of people blocked her path, the murmur of hushed whispers rolling through them like waves. The young teen shoved her way into the group, shoving and elbowing her way past the crowd. The collective gasp that rang out told her all she needed to know. She was too late. Moving at last to the edge of the crowd, she saw her brother's body fall, a heavy dagger buried in his chest. She saw the smile form on his face as his body collapsed.

"I win." It was barely a whisper, but the wind carried her brother's words so that all could hear. "NO! DIPPER!" Mabel rushed to his side, frantic as her brother slowly died in the street.

/

Jessica stood staring down at the dying boy, his smile mocking her. _It's not possible. I can't feel the rift at all. My magic…it's gone._ As much as she had loathed that retched boy, the rage that burned inside her now made it pale in comparison. Her hands contorted into claws as she took a single step forward. Only to be shoved backward by her daughter. Hatred and sorrow marred Wendy's normally angelic features as she stood before her mother.

"HOW COULD YOU?! YOU-YOU MONSTER! YOU'VE LIED TO ME MY WHOLE LIFE! I HATE YOU!"

"We-Wendy darling it will be ok, you'll see. I can make you forget-"

"You stay the hell away from me you witch. You show back up after disappearing for six years, and you use magic, MAGIC to make it seem like you never left. You used magic on your own family, on me mom. I remember everything now…" Tears began to fall, the trails glistening on her face. "He-he saved us…me. Again. That's what he did. That's who he was. And you…bitch. You took him away from me. I will hate you always."

"But-but sweetheart, I-this wasn't my fault." Jessica stammered, her voice pleading to her daughter. "It was that boy's fault, Dip-" The force of the slap sent Jessica's head rocking back, a bright red handprint was already clearly visible.

"How dare you! You think I'll believe any more of your lies?" Wendy shook, as she glared at the woman, who had just destroyed her world. "I swear, if his name ever leaves your mouth again-." She left the threat hanging as she turned her back on Jessica.

"Wendy please, I lo-" Jessica's eyes glazed over as she was struck in the back of the head. She toppled unceremoniously into a heap.

"I think its way past time for you to shut up." Pike said.

Wendy rushed towards her uncle, wrapping her arms around him finally letting the tears flow freely. "Ollie he-he's gone. I-I…" The force of Wendy's hug was excruciatingly painful, but he held it all in, intent on comforting his niece.

"Hey its gonna be-" _But it's not going to be ok._ "We'll get through this." _Shit you really suck at this Pike._

/

"Dip…come on Dip hold on we can fix this you just…please hold on." Mabel knelt beside her brother's body. Her hands grasped his arm. "Oh god Dip…you're so cold…it's like your freezing…Dip come on talk to me please…don't leave me."

A hand reached up to gently brush the hair from her face. "Mabel, I'm sorry you had to see this. And I hope that you can forgive me."

"Don't be stupid…Of course I can forgive you…"

"Wendy. I need to talk to Wendy."

"I-I'm here Dipper." Pike had helped Wendy walk over to the boy laying on the ground.

"I'm so sorry. For everything. I know you're hurting right now and it's my fault. But it was the only way. I love you. And I'm sorry." Dipper closed his eyes and drew a shaky breath. "Please don't hate me."

"Dipper of course I don't hate you. I could never hate you."

Dipper lay perfectly still. His chest no longer drawing in breath. Pike knelt down beside the boy who had saved the world and gently lowered his eye lids. _Kid, you had guts. Farewell Dipper Pines, you will always be remembered as a hero._

/

The rumbling of thunder grew faint, as the clouds parted in the heavens. A single shaft of golden light pierced through the gloom resting on the fallen hero. The soft call of bird song could be heard upon the wind. It was if nature itself was paying its respect to the boy who had given his life to protect what he loved.

Deep in the forest, floating atop his pond the wisp glowed brightly. "You have done well Dipper Pines. You will always be remembered as one of the greatest among us. Long live the 'Star-Child'."

/

Meredith Pines sat in her car parked on the side of the road, tears streaming down her face. "My little hero. Oh Dipper, I wish you could have done it differently. You caused us so much pain, but of course we will forgive you." She smiled through her pain, knowing that her son was at peace.

/

She made her way through the crowd, effortlessly sliding between the townsfolk. She tried her best to ignore the hushed whispers around her, but still she heard. _No they are wrong. Dipper can't be dead. He told me everything would be fine…but I can't feel him anymore…No I'm sure he is ok. He promised me._ She emerged on the other side of the sea of people, unable to comprehend what she saw. Wendy and Mabel kneeling over the body of Dipper, their cries of grief echoing through the streets while a man she didn't know looked on, his face a swirl of emotions. _Why are they crying? That can't be Dipper…but they're hurting so much…no Dipper, you promised me._ Tears began to fall as she made her way numbly to the fallen hero. "We-Wendy? He-He's gonna be ok, right? He promised he'd be ok."

Wendy didn't even look back. "No Aurora. Dip-" Her voice caught in her throat. "Dipper's gone."

"NOOO!" she screamed as she rushed his body. "No, he's just sleeping see?" She pushed past Wendy and Mabel, grabbing Dipper. "See, come on wake up. Please wake up. Don't leave us. Dipper…" her words became lost in her wails, as she felt how cold Dipper was. The pain she felt from Wendy and Mabel only amplified her loss. She felt hands on her shoulders pulling her back.

"You girls need to go home. You all need each other right now. Call Mabel's little blond friend, have her meet you—Mabel needs… _you all need_ some support right now. I'll take care of-. I'll make sure that he's shown the proper respect. Wendy, I- I'm sorry Pippy. I can't even imagine how much you girls are hurting." Pike glanced over his shoulder at Jessica's unconscious form, his face going hard. "But I need to go deal with that now. I need to make sure that she goes somewhere she'll never hurt anyone again." He turned back to them. "Get them home Wendy, and I'll be there soon."

Wendy nodded silently, tears streaming down her cheeks, her breath coming in gasps. She turned back to try and get Mabel and Aurora's attention, but the sight, again, of Dipper's pale, prone form sent a new wave of grief cascading through her body. She collapsed to her knees, shaking, her face a mask of intense pain. It finally took Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland physically removing the three girls from the scene, and driving them back to the Pines' house in the back of the police car, to get them to leave.

Pike watched the scene unfold his heart aching for those poor girls. As they left he let his anger burn through the grief. Walking over to his brother he aimed a well-placed boot to his gut. "Wake up!"

Dan's eyes flew open as the air left his lungs. "WHAT THE HELL OLIVER?!" The memories of the past few hours came rushing back. "OLLIVER I-YOU-IT WAS JESS-"

"Save it Danny. We can deal with our problems later. I need you to take the bod-I need you to take Dipper to the hospital. They can proceed from there."

"WENDY? IS WENDY OK?" Dan asked concern creeping into his voice.

"No, not right now she isn't. And I don't know if she's going to get there anytime soon."

"DOES SHE KNO-"

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME DAN! JUST, just do what I asked and we can deal with that later, or not at all." Pike said his voice growing weary. "Just treat the kid right Danny, he earned it." He turned and walked toward Jessica, grunting in pain as he swung her over his shoulder.

"ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE BINDING RITUAL? BY YOURSELF?"

"Right now I'm the only one I trust enough to make sure this gets _handled_ properly. This has been a long time coming." Pike walked slowly down the street, making his way toward a cavern hidden in the woods. _Coming full circle…it started in those caves, it's only fitting we finish it there._ As he walked he lost himself in memories of days long gone. Of days when four young friends did nothing on summer days, but enjoy their togetherness. He smiled, a twisted painful smile. _We can't ever go back to that…and now neither can those girls._

/

Mabel called Pacifica while riding in the police car, unable to send a text due to her shaking hands. The call was mostly unintelligible sobbing on Mabel's end, but Pacifica got the gist of it, picking out the words "Dipper," "killed," "please," and "house."

When Sheriff Blubs pulled up to the Pines residence, Pacifica was already there, waiting on the porch. She ran down to meet the car. Deputy Durland got out and opened the back passenger side door, and Mabel practically fell out, right into Pacifica's arms. Pacifica held her sobbing friend, stroking her hair, as Wendy and Aurora exited the vehicle.

"Miss Northwest, are Stan and Ford not here?" asked Sheriff Blubs.

"They're not," answered Pacifica. "Mabel had said something about them going to Vegas for a couple weeks."

"Well, do you think you can handle things here, and take care of these girls?" said Sheriff Blubs. "We need to go back downtown to try and deal with… the situation."

Pacifica nodded. "I'm here for them. Thanks."

The Sheriff and Deputy both tipped their hats at Pacifica, then drove off, back in the direction of downtown.

"Come on, let's get you guys inside," said Pacifica. Mabel still clung to her tightly, as Pacifica slowly led her back toward the house. Aurora and Wendy followed, leaning on each other for support.

Once inside they sat in the living room, silent, except for the occasional quick sob, or sniffle. Mabel, her face blotchy and streaked with tears, sat on the loveseat, curled up against Pacifica. She gripped her friend's hand so tightly, her knuckles were white. Pacifica didn't seem to mind. Wendy took a spot on the end of the sofa, hugging her knees to her chest, and resting her forehead on them. Her red hair fell in a sheet around her, as she tried to fold into herself and disappear. Aurora, the human-shaped dragon only a day old, was at a loss for what to do. She simply slumped to the floor, her tearstained face, blank. The boy who was supposed to be bonded to her for life was gone.

"He said he'd be okay," Aurora said, her voice low, and thick with emotion. "He told me to wait for a sign. Did he signal me, and I missed it? Oh gods," her voice shook. "Is-is this all my fault?" She broke down and wept, holding her face in her hands.

"'Rora," Mabel said softly, trying to hold back a sob herself, "This is _not_ your fault. It was Wendy's mom. She's an evil—"

"I can't do this," said Wendy suddenly, cutting Mabel off. She threw herself off the sofa, and ran up the stairs to Dipper's room, her red hair fanning out behind her. In Dipper's room, she was rocked by grief again—grief for the boy she loved, and for the loss of her mother, a second time. The unfairness of it all was overwhelming. She lay down on Dipper's bed, hugging his pillow, inhaling his scent from it, and crying herself into the oblivion of sleep.

Downstairs, Aurora's mental connection to Wendy allowed her to feel everything Wendy felt. She shook, as her own grief mixed with the redhead's, and overtook her body. She curled up on the floor in the fetal position, her tears pooling on the hardwood under her face, as she repeated the same word over and over.

"Why? _Why? Why? Why?_ "

The dragon-girl's breakdown had a cascading effect, her anguish causing a fresh wave of tears from Mabel, who buried her face in Pacifica's shoulder.

"Paz," she gasped. "He's-he's gone. My bro-bro is _gone_!"

Pacifica held Mabel tightly, and tears even began to stream down her face. Although she was sad Dipper was gone, her tears were more for Mabel, whose heartache was devastating—and Pacifica couldn't do anything to make it better for her.

/

Jessica Corduroy woke in a place she hadn't dared to venture in a long time. She found herself in the Cavern of the Stars. "Wha-Why am I here?"

"Ah good you're awake. I was getting a little tired of listening to you snore." Pike drawled from his perch on a boulder. He was casually spinning a dagger in his hands. "Now then, call them out Jess. It's time for you to face the music."

Jessica's eyes were filled with fear. "Oliver no, please no…I can't face them. I-"

"No. You can stop all of that right now. Whatever happens from here on is your fault. You've earned it."

"I won't do it. You can't force me to call them."

A sigh of resignation. "I guess you're right. This was an obviously a waste of time…oh wait, no it wasn't. I'll just have to do it."

"You…they won't listen to _you._ " A sneer slid across her face.

"CHILDREN OF THE STARS! I SUMMON YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY PASS JUDGEMENT UPON THE FALLEN!"

"NO! Please Oliver not this, you can't."

As the six ghostly figures slid as smoke from the walls, constellations lit up over the cavern wall. "WHO DARES TO SUMMON US? ONLY A 'STAR-CHILD' COULD DRAW US TO THIS PLANE. UNLESS… _YOU."_ As one the six turned to face the boulder where Pike continued to sit. Jessica stared at her brother-in-law, shocked by the power he had just displayed.

"Yeah, me, great whatever. Look you're here now, she's your problem. Deal with it." Pike hopped off his perch and made to leave.

"SHE IS NOT READY TO ASCEND. YOU KNOW THE RULES OLIVER CORDUROY. JESSICA CORDUROY IS STILL BOUND TO THIS PLANE."

"Ha! Told you little Ollie, they won't listen to you."

"Fine, gods, call him, shit let's just get this over with. I've had a rotten day and I'd very much like to go drink it away."

"VERY WELL." The six figures began to recede back into the rock face as the starlight glowed brighter.

"Wait you can't be serious…Oliver just who the hell are you?"

"You probably should have figured that out a long time ago Jess, it might have ended a little differently."

A ball of light floated down from the cavern roof, its light steadily increasing as it descended. Touching the floor, it flared like the light of the noon day sun before revealing a wizened old man. He looked at Pike with a displeasing glare. "What? You, of all people, have no business summoning me."

"Whatever old man. One 'Fallen Star' hand delivered. You want to go ahead and make with your 'Star-Child' mojo. I'm more than ready for this problem to go away."

"No." The First's tone was flat. "It is not for me to decide her fate."

"SERIOUSLY! You unbelievable old bastard. Still won't get your fucking hands dirty. See this is why I hate dealing with you _higher_ powers. You never want to clean up your own fucking messes." Pike reached into his back pocket, withdrawing a small worn leather book.

Jessica was watching the exchange with disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Oliver, little Ollie Corduroy arguing with the First 'Star-Child', like he was just another person, not a being who could obliterate him with a thought. "Ollie…what happened to you?"

"Oh like you give a fuck. You haven't thought about anybody but yourself in almost two decades. All because this prick." Pike said gesturing at the First. "Couldn't be bothered to take two fucking minutes to explain to you not to go overboard with the magic. NO! Of course not, so that gives you the free pass to fuck everyone's life up. And of course, it's on me to clean this shit show mess up…again. Whatever, let's just get this over with." He flipped through the old book before finding the passage that he wanted.

"You know the binding ritual won't hold me Oliver. I'll eventually come back."

In an instant his rage was gone, and Pike looked so tired, as if he had aged decades in seconds. "Yeah, I know." And he began to read, his voice weary.

"If I have harmed any one in any way, either knowingly or unknowingly through my own confusions, I ask their forgiveness. If any one has harmed me in any way, either knowingly or unknowingly through their own confusions, I forgive them. And if there is a situation I am not yet ready to forgive, I forgive myself for that. For all the ways that I harm myself, negate, doubt, belittle myself, judge or be unkind to myself, through my own confusions, I forgive myself*."

The light from the caverns constellations dimmed as Pike finished reading.

Jessica's eyes narrowed as she stared at Pike. "That wasn't the binding ritual. What are you playing-" Her thought was stopped short as the tip of a dagger paused a fraction of an inch from her throat. The fire that burned in Pikes eyes was the stuff of nightmares.

"You killed that boy, and all because he wanted to keep his family safe. No more chances. After everything you did to my family. After what you did to me. For all the pain that you caused her. I'm not about to let you walk free a second time. I will do _anything_ to keep them safe from you. Good-bye Jessica." Pike pulled his arm back, making ready to plunge the dagger into her heart.

"Pike stop."

Both Pike and Jessica froze. That voice…

"Put the knife down Pike, there is another way."

Pike couldn't move, his whole body had locked down, the fear in Jessica's eyes as she stared behind him confirmed it. Dipper Pines was behind him.

"Di-Dipper? Is it really you? But you died…" Pike's voice caught as he remembered watching Dipper fall.

"I'll explain later Pike. Right now we need to deal with Jessica."

"I agree." Pike said bringing the knife to bear once more.

"Give me the knife Pike. We're going to do this my way."

Pike held the knife for several moments, before giving in and passing it to the boy. "I guess you know what you're doing, if you're standing here breathing." A smile broke across his face. "Damn it's good to see you kid."

Dipper just smiled and nodded before turning to Jessica. "I have half a mind to let him do it. I know full well what you're capable of, the depths of evil that haunt your soul. But I also know you weren't always like this, that once you were a kind, caring person. I'd like for you to be able to remember that before you go."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Something that should have been done a long time ago." Dipper turned to the First, who had just stood back, watching the exchange with interest. "Take her powers. All of them."

"To what end? It won't erase the hurt that she has wrought. Why?"

"I know it was her power that corrupted her, that the energy of the rift warped her to the core. I felt that today. I know how intense a feeling it is. I can only imagine what it did to her. So take it from her, all of it. Let her remember who she was."

The old man smiled. "Dipper Pines, you will never cease to surprise me. Very well 'Star-Child'. I will do as you ask."

Dipper moved towards Jessica, reaching for her wrist, she drew back in fear. "I won't hurt you. That has never been my intention. Can I please see your hand?" Dipper asked holding his own out towards her.

Tentatively she extended her hand towards him. Very slowly Dipper removed almost imperceptible length of hair from around her wrist. As soon as Dipper removed the hair a soft silver glow sprang from around Jessica. "I can feel the rift again. My magic." She let the fire flow to her fingertips, as she narrowed her eyes at Dipper. "That was a mistake boy."

Dipper just smiled and pointed at the First. The old man stood with his eyes closed, hands splayed in front of him. He began to chant softly under his breath, speaking in a language as old as the stars. The silver glow that swirled around Jessica began to move toward the First's hands, the energy collecting into an orb.

Her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. As the light drifted away from her, the part of her mind that had been tainted so long ago by her continued manipulation of the rifts energy came back. Her conscience was returning. Tears began to fall freely down her face as she remembered all the pain, all the suffering she had caused, for no other reason than she could. Her heart broke as she saw the face of her daughter, screaming at her in rage. The hurt she had inflicted on her husband, her Daniel. And Oliver, Little Ollie, she looked up at him through the tears. What she had put him through paled, beyond anything else. "Oh god. I can't…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Ollie I…" She lurched to her feet and pulled the startled young man into a fierce hug. "I'm a monster…I'm so sorry. I made you…oh god." She lost her voice in the sobs, as her body was wracked with grief.

Oliver winced at the pressure on his broken rib. "Is it really you Jess? Are you finally back with us?" he asked softly. She just nodded into his chest. "I missed you, big sister." Pike said, his voice thick with emotion.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she looked up at Pike. "I can never ask the others, but please Ollie. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I-no Jess. I can't, maybe someday. But it's all still to raw."

"I understand, thanks for being honest. Little Ollie."

The old star cleared his throat bringing them out of their reunion. "I think that it long past time for me to go. I can see that the rift is finally in good hands, so I believe that it is time that I take my place with my brethren. Dipper Pines, may the stars always light your path." As he spoke the old man's form began to fade away, leaving behind a faint outline of starlight, which slowly moved to take its place on the cavern wall.

The three stared at each other as the starlight on the cavern walls slowly faded.

"So…what's the plan Dip?"

"I think it's time you went back to Seattle Pike. Jessica can't stay in town now, and I want someone to keep an eye on her."

"Dipper thank you. It's more than I deserve."

"Ok…I get it. Yeah I can get her set up, make sure she behaves…but Dipper do the girls know about, well you?

Dipper hung his head. "No. I am so not looking forward to this."

"You want me to hang around til you get this done?"

"No Pike, this is my mess. I'll clean it up."

Pike grinned. "You got guts kid, not sure about the brains department, but you got guts." He turned to leave pausing. "Ok so I got to know. It's gonna bug the hell outta me until I figure this out. How'd ya do it kid? How'd you block her powers and pull a Lazurus?"

Dipper chuckled as he held up a length of hair, that sparkled as it caught the light. "Unicorn hair. Completely negates rift energy. What? Didn't you know that?"

"Smartass. And what about the other thing."

"Heh, a magician never reveals all his secrets."

"Good point kid. Alright then I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll try to swing back through every so often, and if you need anything give me a call. I'll be here. Come on Jess, time to go."

"Dipper…thank you. For everything. I wish I had been more like you when I was younger. Maybe it would have all turned out different."

"Yeah…well…just try to keep out of trouble."

"One more thing Dipper." She paused just before she left. "Please let Wendy know that I do love her, and I'm sorry for everything I've done." She glanced at Pike. "I know her father would appreciate it."

Dipper looked quickly at Pike, then back at Jessica, and back at Pike once more, a silent question forming on his lips. Before he could say anything, however, Pike narrowed his eyes and gave his head a slight shake.

"Take care of yourself, kid," he said, as he led Jessica out of the cave, and away from the havoc she had wrought on her family and friends.

Dipper stood dumbfounded for a moment. "Wait, what?"

/

The sun sank below the horizon, and twilight's soft lavender glow colored the landscape. Pacifica slowly and carefully disengaged herself from a sleeping Mabel, covering her with a blanket. She stepped quietly past Aurora, who had also fallen asleep, and made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. As she walked back toward the living room, sipping her water, a movement caught her eye through the window. She did a double-take, and nearly choked. She sat the glass down, and then rushed out the front door, closing it as quietly as she could behind her.

"H-hi Pacifica," said Dipper sheepishly. "You…probably have some questions."

"You're not dead," Pacifica stated simply, her face void of any emotion.

"No, I'm not," said Dipper. "See, wha— OW!" Dipper held his hand to his stinging cheek, where a red print the size and shape of Pacifica's hand now appeared.

" _That_ was for Wendy," Pacifica hissed. She kicked him hard in the shin.

"Sonofa! What—"

" _That_ was for Aurora," she said low, glaring at him. Then she pulled her fist back, and punched him in the gut as hard as she could. Dipper grabbed at his stomach, and bent over, wheezing.

"And _that_ ," spat Pacifica, "was for your sister." She stared daggers at him while he coughed, trying to regain his wind.

"What the hell, Pacifica?!" Dipper was finally able to get out.

"They have all been in there, bawling their eyes out, blaming _themselves_ for not being able to stop Mrs. Corduroy from killing you," Pacifica said, venom in her voice. "They are all devastated. Your sister is-is _broken_. I haven't seen Wendy all afternoon, because she ran sobbing up to your room almost as soon as they got here. And Aurora—I don't know who she is to you, but she keeps saying she let _you_ down, she must have missed your signal. _You did this to them_." She poked him in the chest for emphasis.

"Look, I feel awful about that, I really do," said Dipper, rubbing the back of his neck, "but what I did was necessary. I did it _for_ them. There was no other way—"

"You know what," interrupted Pacifica angrily, "save it. I don't care why you did it. It's _them_ you owe the explanation to."

"Yeah," sighed Dipper. "You're right. This is gonna be so awkward."

"Oh, waah," mocked Pacifica. "You should be able to handle a little awkwardness, since you had no problem _destroying_ their lives."

Dipper swallowed back a retort. Whether or not he had a good reason, he had put the three most important girls in the world to him through hell.

"Well," he said, starting to walk slowly up the path to the house, "time to face the music."

As they reached the door, Pacifica put a hand on Dipper's shoulder.

"For what it's worth, Dipper," she said softly, "I'm glad you're not dead."

"Thanks Pa—"

"But if you _ever_ hurt your sister like this again," she said, squeezing his shoulder hard, "I'll make you wish you were."

 _When did she become so protective of Mabel?_

"Okay, Paz," he said. "I don't plan on ever having to fake my own death again, anyway."

Pacifica nodded curtly, and pushed to door open. They stepped quietly into the living room.

Mabel was still curled up under a blanket on the loveseat, and Aurora lay on the floor, tossing restlessly.

She abruptly stopped tossing, and her eyes flew open. "Dipper," she said softly, staring at the ceiling, tears leaking from the sides of her eyes, running down to her ears, "you're gone… so why do I still feel your presence?"

Dipper glanced at Pacifica, and she nodded.

"Aurora," he said softly, "I'm not dead. I'm here."

Aurora sat bolt upright. "Dipper?!" she cried, and launched herself at him, tackling him in a hug. She tried to talk, but all she could manage to do was squeak as she wept into his shoulder.

The noise woke Mabel. "What—who's that?" she asked, her vision still blurry from tears and sleep. She blinked, rubbed the crust out of her eyes, and then gasped.

"Bro-bro?" Mabel whispered, her voice quivering. Tears began to run freely down her cheeks.

Aurora, sensing Dipper's intense need to comfort his sister, let go of him. He walked toward the loveseat, and reached under the collar of his shirt, withdrawing a necktie: black, with slanted blue stripes. He knelt down in front of his sister, and handed it to her.

He watched her tentatively, as she held the tie, tears still pouring down her face. She stared at the tie, her brain forming the connections.

"Mind…control?" Mabel said slowly.

Dipper nodded.

"But…who?" she asked. "I-we—you were _dead_ Dipper. I saw you. Touched you. You were ice…cold…"

The corners of Dipper's mouth turned up in a small smile; he could almost see the cogs spinning in Mabel's brain, fitting everything into place.

"The shapeshifter," said Mabel. "You unfroze him and had him die in your place?"

Again, Dipper nodded. Mabel reached out and touched his face, feeling his warmth and solidity. He was real, he was here. He wasn't dead after all. She threw her arms around him, giving the biggest hug she could muster.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" she sobbed into his ear. "I could have helped you! I-I could have—"

"I couldn't tell anyone, sis," Dipper explained. "As I'm sure you're now very aware, Jessica Corduroy was manipulating the whole town. She could see in people's minds, change their memories. I found out she had a plan to throw the rift wide open, and essentially, destroy the world. I had to stop her at all costs, and if I had told anyone, there's no guarantee she wouldn't find out."

Mabel pulled back from the hug, her eyes bloodshot. "I don't understand one thing, though. How did you stop her powers? After she killed y-the shapeshifter, she tried to use her powers, and couldn't."

"You actually helped me with this one," Dipper smiled. "Remember last summer, when you had to go on a quest to find unicorn hair?"

Mabel nodded.

"Do you remember why we needed it? What it does?" asked Dipper.

"It…it blocks rift energy…" said Mabel slowly.

"Exactly," said Dipper, smiling. "I made a bracelet out of unicorn hair—so small you couldn't even see it—and when she stabbed the shifter, I had him grab at her wrists like he was struggling. In reality, he was slipping the bracelet on her."

Mabel broke into a wide, braces-filled grin, and punched Dipper in the shoulder. "You sly dog!"

Aurora stepped forward, and softly cleared her throat. "Dipper, I am very happy you are not dead. Obviously, Mabel is too. But there is someone in this house still hurting so badly that I can feel her intense grief without even trying to enter her mind." She paused, and said thoughtfully, "Actually, I think I understand now why I was unable to feel your presence, even though you were not dead… The raw grief emanating from your mate and your sister was so intense, it overwhelmed my ability to feel anything else."

"Basically," said Pacifica, from over by the door, where she had watched the tearful reunions, "I think she's saying you need to go tell Wendy you're not dead."

Aurora nodded. "Yes, basically."

"Go to her, bro-bro," said Mabel. "She's upstairs, in your room."

"Okay," said Dipper, standing up. He took a deep breath, and started up the stairs, unsure of what reception awaited him.

/

Dipper stood in front of his bedroom door, his heart pounding wildly. He reached forward and knocked twice, softly. Nothing. Quietly, he pushed the door open.

The bedroom was lit with a soft glow, the last remnants of sun coming through the window before twilight was overtaken by night. Dipper heard a soft whimpering coming from his bed, and realized that Wendy was laying under the covers, actually crying in her sleep.

 _Okay…crap. So how do I let her know I'm here without scaring the ever-living piss out of her?_

He sighed, and walked over to the bed, where Wendy lay facing the wall. He pulled the covers back, and gingerly climbed into bed with her, becoming the big spoon. She shifted in her sleep and murmured, as he laid his hand over her abdomen, trying to hold her.

 _Here goes nothin'._

"Wendy," Dipper whispered softly into her ear. He felt her jolt awake. "Wendy, it's me, Dipper."

"You're not Dipper," uttered a voice so broken he barely recognized it as belonging to his girlfriend. "You're my brain playing tricks on me. Dipper is dead." Her body started to shake, as she was overtaken by sobs.

Dipper's heart dropped. "Wendy," he said, trying to choke back tears, "I did this to you. I'm so sorry. _I'm so sorry!_ " He pressed his cheek against the back of her neck, his tears dripping into her hair.

The feeling of hot tears on the back of her neck startled Wendy. She jerked away from Dipper, and quickly flipped over to her other side, so she was facing him. She stared at Dipper, her bottom lip quivering. He reached out, and wiped a tear off her cheek with his thumb.

"Dipper?" her voice quavered. "Is it really you? I saw you dead."

"That was the shapeshifter," Dipper said, taking a deep breath to forge ahead into his explanation. He didn't get the chance, however, because Wendy's mouth was suddenly covering his, their tears mingling, as she kissed him desperately.

"I thought I'd lost you," she murmured against his mouth, as they broke apart to breathe.

"Never," said Dipper, wrapping his arms around her. "Never ever," he whispered into her ear.

They kissed again, in a frenzy of passion, their bodies twining together. Wendy blazed a trail of hot kisses down his neck, eliciting an unbidden moan from Dipper. She rolled him over, and suddenly, she was on top of him, straddling him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Dipper asked, suddenly nervous. Without a word, Wendy reached down to grab the bottom of his shirt, and yanked it up and over his head. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. She then reached down and lifted off her own shirt, revealing a bright blue bra underneath.

Dipper stared at the perfection in front of him, speechless. Wendy leaned down to give Dipper another long, lingering kiss, and began grinding against him.

"I-wh-uh," mumbled Dipper, as the blood supply to his brain quickly decreased.

Wendy sat up once more, and reached behind her with the intention of unhooking her bra.

 _I can't believe I'm gonna say this._

"Wendy, stop."

She paused and pouted at him. "Don't you like this?"

"Uh, yes. Definitely," said Dipper, nodding vigorously. "I really, _really_ like it. But… you've spent most of the day thinking I was dead. Now you find out I'm alive, and suddenly, you're doing things to me that I don't think you would be doing yet—at this point in our relationship—if you had never thought I was dead."

"So," said Wendy, her lower lip beginning to quiver again, "You don't want me?"

"Wendy," breathed Dipper, pulling her down onto him, and rolling over so they were face to face, "I absolutely want you. But I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret doing something you wouldn't have otherwise done, simply because you thought I was dead."

Wendy sighed. "Dammit, Dipper, you're right. I don't want you to be, but you are. I'm sorry."

Dipper kissed her swiftly, and grinned. "Oh, don't apologize. I have _thoroughly_ enjoyed this 'welcome back from being dead' you've given me. I just don't want things to go too far—yet."

"Will you at least keep holding me?" asked Wendy.

"If you want, I'll never let go," Dipper whispered into the top of Wendy's head as she snuggled against his chest.

"I love you," said Wendy softly.

"I love you too," said Dipper, smiling as he closed his eyes.

/

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Wow, what a long strange trip it's been. So when I started to write this all out I pictured it as my take on a teen supernatural tv show. I hope that in some way I delivered. This has been really fun taking you all along for the twists and the turns, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. So that's it. The end of my season. Thank you guys so much.

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 **SHOUTOUTS! thereader16, NecroticHate, fereality, NyaNyaKittyFace, Ilikecartoonsandzombies, MorgothII, LimboticMistisos, Guest, Really Bored Guy, Pygmanlion, Guest Reviewer, scroghmc, and Nokumi12.** You guys have been with me for so long. Thanks for keeping me going. You are awesome.

 **Geekngroom** What can I say that I haven't already. Thanks for getting into my head and making sure that I got this finished.

Peace

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?Why are you still here?It's over…Go home.

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Seriously?! MORE?!

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Well Ok.

Just remember…you asked for it.

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They always go bigger in the second season.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter Fourteen: Wishful Thinking.


	14. Wishful Thinking

Chapter Fourteen

Wishful Thinking

Midnight. The dying of one day, the birth of the next. A time of change, of wonder, of infinite possibilities. The time when magic is born. When the ordinary changes, when all secrets are laid bare. A time of wishes.

A small clearing just inside the woods. The moonlight casting its glow upon the lush wildflowers, making them shine silver. It almost seemed unnatural, how everything worked together to create the perfect setting.

A hunched figure made his way from beneath the trees coming to stand in the center of the clearing. "Hmm yes…good lighting…decent atmosphere…yes this spot should do nicely." The hunched man muttered to himself as his fingers flew across the screen of a small tablet. Pulling a tiny box from beneath his cloak, he threw it down to the ground. A few simple clicks upon the device, caused the small cube to begin to shake violently. In the span of an eye blink where once was a tiny box a small fountain now stood.

"No…no that's not right…" His eyes narrowed in concentration as his fingers danced over the glowing screen. "Let's see stone base, gabled roof…that's more like it." As he tapped away, the fountain shifted, taking on the appearance of an old well. The man ran a hand through his long, grey, ragged beard.

"Power source…power source…needs to be consistent, but volatile. Child-like, but with a hint of malevolence. The proper application of elements is crucial…" The man rambled on pacing a circle around the well, as if he were lecturing students and not talking to himself. His eyes went wide as he stopped mid-sentence, a wicked grin spreading on his face.

"Yes of course, so simple." More clicks upon the tablet. "Butterfly wings, dandelion fluff, an imp's laughter, and a fairies magic…" As he typed the objects began to appear and circle through the air around him. "Now to bind them together, the twinkle of a morning star." The objects slowly coalesced into a crystal of immense beauty, a dark red light pulsing through its heart.

"Blast! Energy levels too low for extended periods of use, only enough power for a single run. Well this was a failure…but we should still test it, just to make sure it works." The old man plucked the jewel from where it floated in front of him. He bent down, his back creaking, as he placed it inside the well.

"Now we need a guinea pig…no, no, no we call them test subjects now. Must remember that." Once again turning his attention to the tablet, he began to scroll through a list of random names and faces, swiping with abandon, never satisfied at the prospects.

"Useless. Unimaginative. Oh god no, not that one. Silly child-wait…hmmm this one has possibilities. Yes, it could be interesting." The man furiously typed upon the tablet, as a bright white light streaked with red emerged from the well. A creepy chuckle escaped the man quickly turning into an insane cackle that echoed through the woods.

"Be careful what you wish for."

/

"Hey Dipper?" came Wendy's voice from behind him. It wavered slightly, as if she was nervous.

"What—" he began as he turned around from his seat at his desk, but his voice caught, and he nearly fell out of his chair.

His girlfriend was sitting on his bed in only black panties, with the pine tree baseball cap perched sideways on her head. Her long, luxurious red hair was swept forward over her shoulders, covering her breasts. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were steady with intent. She stood, and walked slowly toward Dipper, her hips swaying seductively.

"W-Wendy, wha—?" Dipper stammered out as Wendy pulled him up and out of his chair.

"Shut up and kiss me, dork," she murmured, as she wound her fingers through his hair, and pressed her mouth hotly against his.

Dipper's heart was racing, and he felt dizzy. Wendy's lips were soft, as were all her curves, pressed firmly against his body. As they embraced, his hands wandered down over the lace of her panties, and Wendy uttered a soft groan of approval. Dipper pulled away slightly.

"Wendy, why are you—"

"I said no talking," she said, the dominance in her voice clear. She pushed him back onto the bed, and began undoing the button of his jeans. "Talking just ruins things."

She quickly had his pants off, and was reaching toward the slit in his boxer shorts. Dipper's panic was rising as quickly as other parts of him.

"Wendy, wait—stop!" he cried, louder than he meant to. Wendy's face was near his pelvis. She looked up at him, an animalistic lust evident in her eyes.

"Why do you want me to stop," she purred, "when you are so clearly ready to _go_?"

"I just—I can't—I'm not ready," gasped Dipper. He could feel her warm breath on areas that had never before felt such a sensation.

"Do you not want me?" pouted Wendy, her hands inching closer toward Dipper's uncharted territory.

"No! I mean—yes!" said Dipper quickly, trying to think clearly. "I just… this is all so fast. I'm-I'm not ready…"

Wendy suddenly stood up in a huff. She ripped Dipper's cap off her head, and tossed it to the floor. Grabbing her clothes from the heap she'd left them in next to the bed, she started furiously getting dressed, fumbling with buttons and zippers in her anger.

"I guess this is what I get for dating a thirteen-year-old _boy_ ," she spat, venom in her voice. "I don't know if I can sit around waiting for you to be 'ready.'" She marched to the door and flung it open, and turned to address Dipper once more. "How 'bout you just call me when you _grow up_?" she said, then left, slamming the door behind her.

Dipper's eyes flew open. He was shaking, tears spilling out of the corners of his eyes. His bedroom was dark—it was clearly still night. He felt the warm, sleeping form of Wendy curled up next to him, and took a deep breath, happy it had just been a nightmare. He had been having similar nightmares ever since he had turned down Wendy's advances after returning from the "dead" two weeks ago. She hadn't pushed anything since then, but sleeping in such close proximity to her every night was wreaking havoc on Dipper's young teenage hormones. He knew what he wanted, but he also knew he simply wasn't ready for it yet.

He sighed and rolled over, snuggling closer to Wendy. As he was falling back asleep, he heard her whimper slightly. He groggily wondered what she was dreaming about, as he drifted back to sleep.

/

Wendy excitedly ran up the path to the Pines house, letting herself in like normal. She waved quickly to Stan, who grunted back. Grinning from ear to ear, she raced up the stairs, and knocked on Dipper's bedroom door. The younger teen opened the door, and Wendy caught him in a flying hug-tackle.

"I got in, Dipper! I got in, I got in, I got in!" she cried happily, nearly squeezing the life out of her boyfriend. "Dude, I am so stoked—you have no idea!"

"I-uh-think I may have some idea," wheezed out Dipper.

"Oh, sorry man," Wendy said, disengaging from him. She took off her backpack, and pulled a large manila envelope out of it. "See?!"

"Oregon State," said Dipper, smiling, but not all the way to his eyes. "I told you you were smart enough. Congratulations." He placed a tender kiss on her cheek.

"Dude, what gives?" asked Wendy, sensing something was up. "You don't seem happy…"

"I'm happy for you," said Dipper. Then he sighed, and looked back at the packet in her hand. "I'm just not too happy for me."

Wendy frowned. "We talked about this, man, remember?" She took his chin in her hand and forced him to make eye contact. "It's only a couple hours away. I'll be back to visit you all the time, okay?"

Dipper looked at his feet. "But what about…college guys? You'll be around so many new, older, hunkier guys… they won't know you have a boyfriend… what if—" Wendy put a finger to his lips and cut him off.

"Dude," she said. "They'll know I have a boyfriend. Because I'll tell them."

Dipper sighed. "I'm worried once they see how hot you are they'll start flirting with you to steal you away from me. I mean, they'll probably not even consider me competition… a college Freshman dating a high school Sophomore. They'll probably think you're joking. You'll probably be stolen from me before the first week of classes is over."

Wendy crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes. "I'm glad you think I'll be so easily swayed to betray you. You know, Dip," she said angrily, "you're kind of being a jerk. I came over here all excited because I got into the college of my dreams, and all you can think about is yourself. Thanks for the support." She crammed the envelope back into her school bag, turned on her heel, and stormed down the stairs. She heard Dipper call after her, but didn't stop. She had to talk to a girlfriend. This was all becoming too complicated.

"Hey Tambry," said Wendy, when Tambry opened her front door. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, Wen, what's up?" she said, shoving her ever-present phone into her pocket.

Wendy glanced at Robbie, who was making his way down the stairs. "In private?"

"You heard the lady," said Tambry, grinning. "Make yourself scarce."

"Psh-yeah," sulked Robbie. "Like I wanted to be involved in your girl talk anyway. I'll be at Thompson's."

Tambry pulled Robbie to her for a quick kiss before letting him out the door.

"Ugh," said Wendy, rolling her eyes.

Tambry laughed, as she led Wendy to the kitchen. "Like you and Dipper never kiss, Wen. Get real."

"Actually, that's kind of why I'm here…" said Wendy, trailing off.

"You're…here because of Dipper's kissing?" asked Tambry, raising an eyebrow.

"No-no… that part's fine," said Wendy. She dug into her school bag and produced the acceptance packet from Oregon State, sitting it on the table.

"Okay, now you've really lost me," said Tambry, wrinkling her brow. "Congrats, by the way! I know that was your first choice school."

"Yeah, I'm really excited—so I went to tell Dipper the news, and he starts acting like Sir Buzzkillington. He's all worried that I'm going to be seduced by an older 'college hunk,' and forget all about him." Wendy sighed. "I'm all bummed out now. I mean, is he going to be like this the entire time I'm away at school? Jealous of nothing, and not trusting me?"

"Oh honey," said Tambry, putting a hand on Wendy's arm, "I always figured you'd break up with him before college anyway."

"What?!" Wendy pulled her arm away from Tambry.

"I mean, he's so much younger than you, Wen," she said, a look of pity crossing her face. "I know you care for him. But he's… immature, for lack of a better term. From what little you've told me about your relationship, you two haven't even—"

"Okay, stop right there," said Wendy, feeling defensive. "He's only fourteen! Of course we haven't—oh." Wendy suddenly realized Tambry's point.

"Look Wen," said Tambry, in her best no-nonsense tone, "I know he adores the shit out of you, and for some reason, you have a thing for him too. But is he really worth it? You'll pretty much shut yourself out of a social life at college, and never get to spend time with any friends you make there if you're running home to Little Dipper every weekend."

Wendy's cheeks flushed scarlet. "Don't call him that," she snapped. Mostly she was defensive because Tambry was right, but Wendy didn't want to admit it.

"Think about it," Tambry continued. "If you stay with Dipper, you're not going to get the full college experience. You're not going to want to wait for him forever. Don't you want to be able to flirt with cute college guys without feeling guilty? To kiss (or do more with) someone with _experience_?"

"What about you and Robbie, then?" asked Wendy. "Are you breaking up with _him_ before college?"

"Oh hell no," laughed Tambry. "We're both going to the same art school. Plus—let's just say that I'm not in search of any kind of _satisfaction_ … he's got that covered."

"Dude, okay, ew," said Wendy. She groaned and held her head in her hands. "Tambryyyyy, what am I supposed to do?

"My advice would be to just end things with Dipper now," stated Tambry, as if it were obvious. "There's no use dragging a doomed relationship out. Plus, you'll have the entire summer to get over him before going off to school. Win-win!"

Wendy sighed, and got up to leave. "I don't know… I have a lot to think about."

Slowly, Wendy opened her eyes. It was a dream—an unwelcome dream. The feeling of despair brought on by the conversation with Tambry lingered in the pit of her stomach. She wiped a tear from her cheek, and snuggled closer to her sleeping boyfriend. Since the night she stupidly threw herself at Dipper, after finding out he wasn't dead after all, their age difference had weighed heavily on her mind. She realized that there was an aspect of their relationship she longed to explore, but being as young as he was, Dipper was not on the same page.

Wendy sighed, and kissed Dipper's forehead. She loved him, and that was all that mattered right now.

/

Aurora shifted uncomfortably at the foot of the bed. Between the sexual tension and angst of Dipper's dream, and the despair and confusion of Wendy's, she was not exactly getting a good night's sleep. After two weeks of similar dreams interrupting her sleep and causing her to feel the emotions as the dreamers felt them, she was considering just going downstairs and sleeping on the sofa. She knew Wendy would prefer that, of course. She was not a fan of Aurora sleeping on Dipper's bed at all, let alone in her human form.

Aurora knew that was part of the reason Wendy had spent every night the last two weeks in Dipper's bed. She understood why Dipper's mate felt the way she did, but being bonded with Dipper, she had just as much right to be near him as Wendy did. More, in fact—she was bonded to Dipper for _life_ , their destinies intertwined and inseparable. If Wendy's dreams were any indication, she was harboring major insecurities about continuing a relationship with Dipper due to the difference in their ages.

Aurora liked Wendy a lot—she had to, as Wendy was Dipper's mate, and Dipper loved her. However, Wendy's mate-bond with Dipper was only eternal if she _chose_ it to be. Her dreams lately, particularly the one tonight, were incredibly disturbing, because they were showing Aurora just how fickle humans could be about their mates.

Aurora yawned, and pulled her blankets more tightly around her. No; despite the lovers' dreams interrupting her sleep, she would not sleep elsewhere. Dipper was hers to protect. _Hers_.

/

Pacifica tossed and turned in her sleeping bag on Mabel's floor. She wanted to sleep, because she knew Mabel would be up at the crack of dawn to begin her and Dipper's birthday festivities. Her mind wouldn't allow it, however. Her thoughts were racing, as she tried to process her developing feelings for Mabel.

Pacifica had never considered liking a girl. It simply never occurred to her. Then, along came Dipper and Mabel last summer, and with them, a wealth of confusing emotions. At first, she thought she had a thing for Dipper. He clearly hated her, and that presented a challenge. Pacifica loved a good challenge, and was used to getting her way. However, the more time she spent with Mabel, she realized the main reason she was attracted to Dipper at all was because of his similarities to Mabel, both physically and otherwise.

Mabel made Pacifica want to be a better person. The Pines twins had taught her what loyalty and affection really meant, and she wanted to experience those things for herself. It went against Pacifica's nature to be _nice_ to people without an ulterior motive, but she had noticed Mabel's disappointment in her whenever she was rude or snarky to people for no reason, so she was trying her best to change.

Mabel never _asked_ Pacifica to change—the very fact that she wanted to be Pacifica's friend even when she knew just how mean Pacifica could be, was one of the things that Pacifica found so attractive about her friend. Mabel gave her affection and loyalty freely, and unconditionally. She was a genuinely good person, and Pacifica was better for knowing her.

The fact that her feelings for Mabel were more than platonic, of course, complicated things. Mabel Pines was the most boy crazy girl Pacifica knew. She had never shown the slightest hint of romantic interest in girls. Pacifica had been trying to drop hints that she was interested in Mabel, without much success. If Mabel noticed the hints, or the way Pacifica looked at her, she gave no indication.

Pacifica thought about doing some grand gesture to get her friend's attention, like pulling her aside tomorrow for a birthday kiss… but as physically attracted as she was to Mabel, she'd probably push for too much, too fast. As much as she wanted to hold Mabel as a lover instead of a friend, she knew she'd probably need to introduce the concept to Mabel first, and let her mull it over. It would be horrible to make a move on an unsuspecting Mabel, only to lose her as a friend as well as a potential lover.

Pacifica sighed, and rolled over. Her eyes were beginning to grow heavy, and her last thoughts, as she drifted off to sleep were of Mabel's lips.

/

The sunlight filtered through the pine needles, casting a soft glow on the forest floor. Mabel was walking next to Norman, smiling and happy. Suddenly, he fell apart, the gnomes forming him dissolving into dust. Mabel began crying, and ran to edge of a pond. Through the trees on the other side, she saw a flash of blonde hair.

Mermando swam to the surface of the pond, his long hair flowing around his shoulders. Mabel leaned down to kiss him. Instead, he grabbed her and pulled her under the water, dragging her to the blackest depths.

Mabel shrieked, inhaling putrid water. All around her swam former love interests, grabbing her, pulling her further down. Gabe floated towards her, grinning wickedly. His eyes were sewn on—black buttons. The clone members of Sev'ral Timez were performing a macabre synchronized swimming routine above her head, keeping her from swimming up for air. She felt small, strong hands grab both her ankles, and looked down, panicking at the sight of her yellow, triangular anchor. Everything was going black. She saw another flash of blonde. Familiar eyes. Someone attacking the forces pulling her under.

Suddenly she was being pulled back up, toward light and air. She was dragged to the shore, still unable to breathe. Just before everything went black, she saw a face—the owner of the blonde hair—leaning down to hers.

"Paz…"

Mabel shot up in her bed, gulping air. Her pajamas were soaked with sweat, and her hair was a tangled mess.

"What?" mumbled a sleepy voice from a sleeping bag on the floor.

"N-nothing," said Mabel. She glanced blearily at her alarm clock. Six in the morning. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep. "Happy early birthday to me?" she said quietly, as she grabbed a towel and made her way to the bathroom to shower in preparation for her and Dipper's birthday festivities.

/

The festivities of the day were rather low-key for a "Mabel Party," because the real fun wasn't set to start until midnight, on their _actual_ birthday.

The gang spent a lazy morning at the lake. Dipper, Wendy, Aurora and Pacifica all swam, but as they entered the water, Mabel grabbed the nearest available food, a bag of potato chips, and started scarfing them. When everyone called for her to hurry up and join them, she yelled back that she just ate, and couldn't swim for two hours, hoping they would be done by then. The murky depths of the lake were too similar to the pond in her dream for her liking.

Pacifica got out of the water shortly thereafter, and lounged in her bikini, on a beach towel next to Mabel.

"What's wrong, Mabs?" she asked, concern in her voice. "You love parties! Why aren't you celebrating?"

Mabel sighed. "I kinda had a bad dream last night where I almost drowned," she admitted, deciding to keep the details of the dream to herself. "I'm a little skeeved out by water where I can't see the bottom right now."

"I thought I heard you whimpering this morning," said Pacifica. "I think you said 'Paz,' even. I hope I wasn't terrorizing you in your dreams," she grinned.

"What? No, you save—" Mabel began, caught off guard. "I mean, no. You, uh… weren't terrorizing me."

"Then what was I doing… in your dream?" Pacifica lifted her sunglasses and made eye contact with Mabel.

"You-I-um," stammered Mabel, channeling Dipper's usual awkwardness. "Hey, look, a duck!" she said quickly, and jumped up, running off in the opposite direction of the water. Pacifica looked around. There were no ducks. She smiled to herself, and settled back down to sunbathe.

/

While they were swimming, Wendy kept trying to get a moment alone with Dipper. However, when Wendy finally pulled him off to the side for a moment of privacy, Aurora suddenly popped out of the water like a cork, splashing them both thoroughly.

"Polo!" she shouted happily.

"Uh, 'Rora," coughed Dipper, "we stopped playing Marco Polo like twenty minutes ago."

"Oh, sorry!" she said with a grin, slinging her arms over both Dipper and Wendy's shoulders. "What're we doing now?"

" _We_ were trying to have a moment to ourselves, actually," said Wendy sourly.

Aurora's face fell, and her lower lip began to quiver. "Oh, okay." She looked around, at a loss. Mabel and Pacifica were talking on the beach. She doubted she'd be welcome there, either. "I guess I'll go… look at the trees or something." She began to swim slowly away.

"Aw, 'Rora, don't be like that," said Dipper, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder. "You can hang with us, it's alright."

Aurora glanced behind Dipper, at Wendy's scowl, then looked back at Dipper, and said brightly, "Thanks, Dipper! You're the best friend a dragon could ask for." She hugged him tightly, making eye contact with Wendy as she did.

"Actually," said Wendy loudly, "I need to visit the little girls' room. Aurora, come with."

"But I want to swim!" whined Aurora. "You _know_ where the bathroom is. Why can't you go by yourself?"

"It's the girl code," explained Dipper. "Go ahead. I'm going to hop out and grab a sandwich anyway."

The trio swam back to shore, and Wendy grabbed Aurora's hand none too gently, hauling her away from the group.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Wendy, without any pretense, as they reached the facilities.

"What are you talking about?" asked Aurora, her amber eyes wide.

"Don't play innocent," Wendy practically growled. "You freaking made eye contact with me and _smiled_ while hugging _my_ boyfriend as close to your sting bikini-clad body as physically possible."

"I'm not supposed to smile at you?" asked Aurora, furrowing her brow. "I don't understand."

"Look, _dragon_ —I don't know what your game is, but I'll be watching you," said Wendy, jabbing a finger into Aurora's sternum. "Just two weeks ago, I thought my boyfriend _died_. Killed by my mom, of all people. Now I have him back, and he and Pike are even trying to get me to reconcile with her. I've talked to her on the phone a couple times. Things are getting better." She took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring. "I don't need you ruining things for me now."

Aurora met her gaze steadily. "I would never try to compromise Dipper's relationship," she said, her tone almost icy. "I would do anything in my power to keep _him_ from being hurt." She turned on her heel, her shiny black hair fanning out behind her, as she walked quickly back to the group.

Wendy stood still for a moment, silently seething. Did Aurora just threaten her? She shook her head, and walked back to her friends. She would have to discuss this turn of events with Dipper later.

/

Back at the Pines home, the party was in full swing when Wendy was finally able to steal Dipper away from everyone for a moment. She grabbed his hand, and pulled him up the stairs to his room. Once inside, she turned out the light, leaving the room only illuminated by the digital numerals of Dipper's alarm clock, and a Tardis night-light plugged into the wall. Wendy then shut the door and locked it. Dipper raised an eyebrow.

Wendy shrugged. "I couldn't get you alone all day, dork. I just want some uninterrupted 'us time,'" she said, sitting on the bed, and patting the spot next to her.

"Aurora has been kind of clingy today, hasn't she?" remarked Dipper as he sat down.

"You have no idea," said Wendy, rolling her eyes. She wanted to bring up Aurora's strange behavior at the lake earlier in the day, but now wasn't the time. She leaned over and kissed Dipper—lightly at first, and then deepening with intensity. He returned the kiss with enthusiasm, but when she started to pull him down onto the bed with her, he stopped suddenly.

"W-wendy, you're not wanting to… you know… are you?" he asked, his cheeks a bright crimson.

She smiled at him. "Of course not dork," she said. _Even though I really want to…_ "I know you're not ready for that. And I know you'll let me know when you are."

They lay facing each other, sometimes kissing, sometimes just snuggling and talking, for about an hour. It was a nearly perfect evening—only one thing would make the evening absolutely perfect for Wendy, but the evening wasn't about her. It was Dipper's birthday. She sighed as she imagined how much better the night would be if he was on the same page as her, and ready to take their physical relationship further.

"What's wrong, Wendy?" asked Dipper, noticing her sigh.

"Nothing, Dip—I just—" she stopped midsentence, as the noise from the party below reached fever pitch. Wendy glanced at the alarm clock. Midnight.

"It's your birthday, Dipper." She smiled, and gently pressed her lips to Dipper's. He closed his eyes, enjoying the tenderness of the moment.

Wendy ended the sweet kiss, and pulled away. _I wish…_

"Happy Birth—"

She stopped talking, mid-word.

Strange thought Dipper, as he opened his eyes. "Wendy?"

But Wendy Corduroy was gone.

/

Stayed Tuned Next Time For Chapter 15: New Status Quo.

/

So here we are at the start of 'Season Two'. Oh the things I have planned, it's gonna be a wild ride. In all fairness I did warn you.

SHOUTOUTS! **fereality, NyaNyaKittyFace, Really Bored Guy, thereader16, LimboticMistisos, Geekngroom, MorgothII, scroghmc, NecroticHate, Guest, and guest revewer.** Thanks guys for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it.

 **Geekngroom** thanks so much for your help in getting me over this stumbling block. You always know just what to say.


	15. New Status Quo

Chapter Fifteen

New Status Quo

Time.

It never stops.

Seconds.

Minutes.

Hours.

Days.

Weeks.

Months.

Years.

In the blink of an eye, everything can change. Enemies become friends, attitudes change completely, friends can leave, love can fade. No matter the reason it always leaves a mark, a memory. The smallest sensation can bring them back to the surface unbidden, sparking a journey of remembrance. They say that time heals all wounds. But the scars will always remain.

/

The night sky split with the roll of thunder, a bolt of lightning throwing the darkness into a singular second of crystal clarity. He blinked away the rain that had begun to fall in his eyes. _Where is she?_ Against the backdrop of heavy falling rain, he heard her cry.

"Dipppperrrr!"

He moved on instinct, scrambling over rain slickened rocks and fallen trees. He slid to a stop, struggling for purchase a few feet from the edge of the cliff where she stood. The onslaught of rain had plastered her long red hair to face and body; she shivered in the cold spray, her thread bare clothing doing little to stave of the driving storm.

"You said you loved me, you said it was forever." She said through chattering teeth. Her feet slipped closer the edge.

"Please, come back to me. Just step away from the cliff. We can talk about this Wendy."

She shook her head, wet strands flying with the force of her refusal. "No, no I can't. You forgot me Dipper, I disappeared and you-you moved on."

"N-no Wendy that's not what happened. Please just come away from the edge." He pleaded, slowly moving towards her.

She looked over her shoulder, staring down into the darkness. "What does it matter? You got over me once, you can do it again. Good-bye Dipper. I always loved you." She stepped into nothingness and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

/

He woke up screaming. His throat burned, raw from the force of his cries. He buried his face into his hands as the tears started to form. Strong slender arms encircled him, pulling him back to her lithe body.

"Its ok. It was only a dream. Shh…it will be ok Dipper. I'm right here. Just let it out. Everything is going to be ok." He shuddered in her embrace, as another round of sobs racked his body. She turned him around to face her, letting her forehead rest upon his as she softly kissed his tears away. "Shh…it's just because it's your birthday weekend, you haven't had a nightmare like that in a long time. We will get through it, just like we always do." In her tender embrace, he found peace and the horror of his dream slowly faded away. But the guilt never did.

"I-I don't deserve you." His voice quivering as he found the courage to speak. "You know how I feel, you always know what I need…you're always here for me. An-and still after all this time I lov-"

She silenced him with a finger across his lips. "I know. I've always known that. I know what we have is not _traditional_ , but I love you all the same. I always will Dipper." A smile played upon her lips as she saw the corners of the young man's mouth twitch upward.

He leaned in gently, touching his lips to hers. "I love you, you silly dragon."

Pushing him backwards, she crawled up his body determined to chase away the remnants of his nightmares. Her hands slid under his shirt, nails softly scratching, bringing soft whimpers from him. Her teeth softly nipped at his neck before latching on to his earlobe. Her hot breath scrambled his thoughts, making it hard to think straight.

"Aur-rora, please. I-I can't. You know I want this." He shivered as she moved to gently lick his neck. "But not yet. You know why, I'm sorry."

She pulled herself away from him, dragging him up with her so she was sitting in his lap. "It's been three years Dipper; I know you still want for otherwise, but she isn't coming back." Her amber eyes burned into his. "I want you to take the weekend to think about it, but you need to move on Dipper, you need to let her go."

"But Aurora I-"

"No Dipper. No more excuses. Out of respect for your feelings I will not intrude into your mind, nor will I sense your emotions. But you must have made a decision by your birthday. Move on and live, or stay wishing for the past you can never have."

He sat very still for a moment, the silence so great that they could only hear two hearts beating in unison. He sighed, "And no matter what I decide, we are gonna be good right?"

"Yes Dipper, I just want you to be happy. Of course I want us to be together, and I know that you do as well. Even if you choose to hold on to her, I will still be here for you. But you cannot keep claiming us both."

His mind was a swirling conflict of emotion. Love, guilt, anger, loss. He loved both of them. But Aurora was right, he needed to make a decision. "You're right. You're always right. I promise that I will figure it out this weekend."

Her smile lit up the room. "Thank you. I know it will not be an easy thing for you, especially with the party your sister is planning."

He groaned falling back onto the bed once more. "Don't remind me. I swear what part of 'No Parties' does she not get. I hate this weekend. Maybe I can hide in the treehouse for a few days, something about an emergency in the forest."

She climbed out of bed making her way towards his bathroom, her long legs spilling from the bottom of his stolen shirt. "Good luck with that Dipper Pines." She called out over her shoulder as the bathroom door shut.

With the closing of the door he could feel their mental bond retreating. A sudden emptiness filled him, this was the first time that they had been separated like this since the 'Dead-Shapeshifter' incident. _This isn't going to make this any easier…what I wouldn't give for a nice dangerous distraction._ Dipper thought sarcastically as he wandered downstairs in search of breakfast.

/

"Alright. Where is he?"

Aurora's eyebrows shot up, silently cursing that she hadn't realized the Pines sister was downstairs. "I do not know. He may have gone to the forest to think."

"What do you mean you don't know? You always know where he is. What's going on?" Mabel demanded.

"I am giving Dipper some…privacy, while he deals with an issue."

Mabel's demeanor instantly softened. "What happened 'Rora?" She led the girl over to the table to sit down.

"He had another nightmare, I am surprised that you did not hear him screaming this morning." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "It was bad."

"Oh sweetie." Mabel's arms wrapped around her in a comforting hug.

"I tried to make him feel better, but…we talked. He promised me that he would try to sort his feelings out this weekend. I am hopeful-"

"Wait, wait, you mean to tell me you finally pushed him to let go of her, didn't you?" A small nod was the only response. "Good. You two are good together. You need to make it official." A huge grin formed on Mabel's face.

"I agree, and I hope that your brother comes to the same decision."

"And if not I'll make myself real annoying til he does."

"No Mabel. This is not an easy thing for him. He still very much loves her and feels guilt that he loves me as well. Please whatever Dipper decides to do, it is his choice and we must respect it."

"But 'Rora…what if-what if he doesn't-" Mabel left the question hanging in the air unasked.

Aurora sighed deeply. "It is a possibility. Dipper and I are bound together no matter what. I will always be with him just as he will always be with me. Even if we are not together, there is no changing that."

"But it's more than that isn't it? You really do love him?"

"Yes, and if he does not choose me it will hurt, but I will always love him." Aurora's murmured her voice barely audible.

Mabel once again wrapped the dragon girl into an embrace, whispering in her ear. "I really hope he chooses you."

/

Dipper lay upon the great stone table letting the early morning rays warm his face. He was slowly adjusting to not having Aurora's presence in his mind. _I miss it. It's only been a few hours and I wish she was there._ The sound of two voices carrying through the trees brought him out of his reverie. _Great just what I need right now. Company._

"I swear to ya, I know he has to be back here sugar. He likes to come out here to clear his little ol' head."

 _Gideon._ He didn't even need to open his eyes; he'd recognize that twang anywhere. _But who has he got with him?_

"Are you sure this is ok Gid? I don't wanna bother him, I can always talk to him another day."

 _Lexie? But she went home for the year already…What's she doing back here?_

"No, I'm sure it'll be fine. Plus 'ol Miles could definitely use some good news this weekend."

"What do you want Gideon?" Dipper asked as the pair finally entered the clearing. He didn't bother to move from his reclined position, wanting to enjoy the sun for as long as possible.

"I swear Miles, I do not know how you do that." Gideon flustered. "It's like _you_ use magic."

He sat up smiling. "Nah, I leave that up to you buddy. So what's going on? Thought we wouldn't see you til next summer Lex."

The teen girl shook her unruly sandy hair. "You can't get rid of me that easy Pines. But seriously has my grandad not talked to you yet?"

Dipper frowned. "No I haven't spoken to GreyFang in a few weeks." His tone became more serious. "Is something going on?"

"Well kinda. Yeah my parents thought it would be better for me if I went to a school that was a little more _understanding_ of someone like me."

Dipper chuckled under his breath softly. "You got expelled from another one didn't you?"

The girl grabbed her hair in frustration, groaning. "It wasn't my fault. Some stupid jock was picking on a freshman and I just…kinda snapped at him."

"Wait now hun. Do you mean snapped like angry or do you mean snapped like you tried to take a bite out of him. Cause I think I'd be frightened of either." Gideon inquired, as he dodged a punch leveled at his shoulder.

The cry of a bird and the sudden snap of a dead branch sent Dipper's nerves on edge. "Quiet." He hissed. "There's something here."

By pure luck he saw the knife flying through the air, rolling off the stone narrowly avoiding being skewered. His eyes scanned the trees, searching for the mysterious attacker. He motioned for Lexie and Gideon to remain behind him as a voice high and mocking called out from the woods. "Dipper Pines, your time has come. Yield and I will show mercy."

"Oh yeah, big talk from someone playing hide and seek. Why don't you come on out and face me?" Dipper called, eyes darting to try to locate the voice.

A soft groan escaped Lexie as she collapsed to the forest floor, a large cloaked figure standing over her. "One down. Two to go." He tittered.

Silver fire coated Dipper's hands, as Gideon began to chant under his breath. The robed figure turned his attention the white haired youth. "Oh, he knows tricks. Too bad he's not a little quicker."

Dipper lunged, his left arm a trail of fire at the spot the man had just been at. _He's fast. I barely saw him move. Step it up Dipper_. With a painful grunt Gideon joined Lexie unconscious on the forest floor. "Now then boy that leaves just you and me." He turned around to find a blade of flaming silver directly at his face.

"Who. The. Hell. Are. You.?" Dipper asked his voice ice cold.

"Hmm. Not bad kid, you picked up a couple new tricks. But you forgot the most important rule." The voice dropped several octaves into something very recognizable.

Dipper barely had time to register the soft hiss of air and the pinprick in his stomach as he started to sway on his feet. The light caught the cold black steel of the barrel as he fell.

"Never fight fair." As Dipper slipped into oblivion, the last thing he saw was Pike's grinning face as he pushed his hood back.

/

Mabel was sitting in front of Aurora, letting the dragon-girl twist and tease her hair into a new style.

"You know Dipper wants no part of this party Mabel. I do not understand why you continue to force it upon him every year."

"Because 'Rora, it's our birthday. It's an excuse to go extra crazy and there's cake and presents and everybody lets you have your way. Why wouldn't you want to party?"

"You know your brother doesn't share that particular mindset to begin with, and now that he associates that day with _unfortunate_ events, can't you just consider letting him skip it all?" Aurora asked, as she braided a section of Mabel's hair.

"No can do dragon-sister. Dip is gonna party hardy with us whether he likes it or not. It's non-negotiable. It would take an act of god to get him out of it."

"He might welcome it…Ugh Mabel I can't get it right." Aurora pouted, letting the hair fall from her hands. "Maybe it's time to get it cut. You've worn it long since I was born."

Mabel shuddered. "Don't say that…it makes me sound so old." A knock at the door caught the attention of both girls.

"Are we expecting guests this soon? I thought we were starting later?" Aurora asked puzzledly as she made her way to the door.

"It's probably just a package or something." Mabel said dismissively, turning her focus back to her hair.

Aurora had barely opened the door before she was bowled over by an enthusiastic blonde.

"AURORA! Oh I missed you so much! How has your summer been?" Pacifica asked as she latched her arms around the taller girl.

"Umph. I am well. But could you please loosen…I cannot breathe Pacifica," she wheezed.

Mabel rose from the table hearing her old friend behind her. "Paz it's so good to…OMG you cut all your hair off! It's so short and cute, and it's so you." Mabel gushed. _Woah dial it back a bit Mabes._

"Thanks," said Pacifica, running her fingers through her new pixie cut. "Yeah, my girlfriend seems to like it."

"GIRLFRIEND!?" gasped Mabel, her cheeks turning pink.

"Pacifica did you meet someone on your vacation?" Aurora inquired.

"Yeah it was like, wow," Pacifica said, smiling at the clearly flabbergasted Mabel. "You would like her, Mabel. She kind of reminds me of you."

/

"…now then Gid, don't think I didn't recognize that spell you were uttering. _That_ was definitely not in the books I left you."

"Well I may have done a teensy bit of research on my own. But I swear Oliver, I steered clear of the dark stuff."

"Just make sure you keep it that way."

"Owww my head is killing me," Dipper said, sitting up. "What happened?"

"And sleeping beauty is finally awake," Pike said, as he paced slowly in front of the stone table, hands behind his back. "Little disappointed Dip. I expected a bit more of a challenge."

"Hey, I had you, right up until you cheated. What's up with that anyway?" Dipper complained.

"You really think the bad guys fight fair?" Pike asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just trying to make sure you stay on your toes."

"Ummm…is anybody gonna bother to explain who this old guy is, and why he attacked us?" Lexie spoke up.

"Shit, sorry Lex," said Dipper, quickly. "This is Pike, he's kinda like our mentor, teacher, bad influence."

"Yeah sugar, you don't need to worry about little ol' him," said Gideon, flapping a hand at her. "He's one of the good guys."

"Oh…well I'm Lexie Osbourne," she supplied. "I just moved here to live with my grandpa. I guess I just missed you all the other times I visited."

"She's GreyFang's granddaughter," Dipper offered.

Pike narrowed his eyes at Lex. "Osbourne…" He suddenly flashed a grin. "Ahhh, so you would be the cousin that doesn't like to be tickled. Your cousin and I go way back."

Lexie's eyes went wide. "But…even granddad doesn't know that story."

"Oh girl, don't sweat it," laughed Gideon. "Oliver here always seems to know more than he should."

Pike turned his attention back to Dipper, his tone suddenly very serious. "Look kid I wish this was a pleasant visit, but I need your help. I got trouble brewing in Seattle, and it's right in your wheelhouse."

"What's going on?" asked Dipper, curious.

"It's a little too complicated to explain right now," said Pike. "We need to leave as soon as possible. I can explain on the drive there."

"Alright," said Dipper. "Huh, this is almost perfect. I can get out of the party as well."

"Party? Oh shit man, I completely forgot it was your birthday," said Pike, apologetically.

"Look, I'm sure this is more important," said Dipper, waving off Pike's concern. "What kind of timeframe do we have?"

"We need to move asap."

"Let's go then."

The pair tore off through the trees, racing towards town, leaving Gideon and Lexie dumbfounded in their wake.

"And there they go," sighed Gideon. "I swear darlin', when those two get together, it is a madhouse."

"Wow…is it always like this?" asked Lexie.

"Pretty much, yeah."

Lexie smiled. "I think I'm gonna like living here."

/

Pacifica reclined on Mabel's bed, her hands behind her head, while Mabel sat cross-legged on the floor, knitting her latest sweater creation.

"So, uh, how was Martha's Vineyard?" asked Mabel casually. _Probably the same as it is every year she goes, dummy._

"Eh, you know, the beach… quaint cottages… lighthouses… so, pretty much the same as it is every year," supplied Pacifica.

 _Nailed it._

"Except _this year_ you met someone! C'mon Paz, you know me, I'm gonna need _all_ the details!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Mabel internally facepalmed. _Way to sound like a creep, there, Mabes! You might as well just ask her if they had sex._

Pacifica's face took on a pink tinge, and she was silent for a few moments. Finally, she spoke, her voice dreamy.

"My parents wanted to eat at a fancy restaurant on the fourth of July, but I wanted to go down to the beach and watch the fireworks. They finally said I could go by myself, so I did. The beach was crowded with spectators, but I was just sitting by myself up on a dune. I hear this voice behind me ask if the spot near me was taken. I say no, go ahead, and this gorgeous brunette sits down next to me. She says her name is Betty. We laugh about how old-fashioned her name sounds, and I tell her about your name." Pacifica grinned. "She says for me to pass along her condolences for your grandma name. Anyway, we have so much fun at the fireworks, that we plan to hang out again the next day. And we hang out every day after that. Then one night a week later, we went stargazing on the beach, and she kissed me." Pacifica sighed, and sat up, hugging her knees. "And that is how I ended up with a girlfriend."

Mabel kicked herself internally. _Great, way to lose your chance. Seriously, this chick is friends with her for like a week, kisses her, and it's game over for Mabel? After I_ finally _wrapped my head around having a crush on a girl, and was going to try and just go for it? No. I refuse to let this stand. Pacifica, prepare yourself for seduction—Mabel-style._

Externally, Mabel smiled sweetly. "I never even realized you had a thing for girls, Paz. It's nice that she's made you so happy!" _And I can do a heck of a lot better._

"Yeah," said Pacifica with a sigh. "It's too bad she's so far away. I'm not sure this long distance thing is going to work for me."

 _There's your in—go for it!_

"Aw, well, if it doesn't work out," said Mabel supportively, "I'm sure you'll be able to find a great girl to date closer to home. I mean, you _are_ quite a catch."

Pacifica's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson, and she opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a sudden shout from the kitchen.

"Hey, Mabel?"

 _Dammit Dipper! What now?!_

"Yeah, Dip?" she called.

"I'm off to Seattle with Pike," he called. "Be back in a day or two!"

Mabel stood, dropping her knitting to the floor. She marched through her door, hands on her hips, Pacifica trailing just behind her.

Dipper was standing in the kitchen with Pike and Aurora, stuffing a water bottle and a couple protein bars into his already overfull backpack.

Mabel crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed. "You wanna run that by me again, Dipstick?" she said, her voice dangerously low.

"Sorry Mabel," Pike cut in, before Dipper had a chance to respond. "I need to steal your brother for some very official emergency demon-hunting. Something big is going down in Seattle, and I need his help."

"But, our birthday!" Mabel said, her lip quivering.

"Sorry Mabes, but you heard Pike—it's an emergency," Dipper said, squeezing Mabel's shoulder. "You know Pike wouldn't lie about something like that."

Pike's eye twitched. "Definitely not."

"Well," said Aurora, "You _did_ say it would take an act of God for Dipper to weasel out of your birthday festivities. I suppose this qualifies."

"Hey, nobody's _weaseling_ out of anything," said Pike. "Conveniently and coincidentally avoiding, maybe—but no weaseling."

Mabel was crestfallen. Pacifica put a protective arm around her friend's shoulders. "Will you at least try to be back for the party?"

"Sorry, Paz, I really can't promise anything," said Dipper.

"Look, we gotta go, kid," said Pike. "There's some serious stuff going down, and it will take us awhile to drive to Seattle."

Mabel hugged Dipper, then quickly darted back to her bedroom. Pacifica, glaring daggers at Dipper and Pike, followed her.

Aurora embraced Dipper, feeling their hearts synch up as they were wont to do. She kissed him gently on the forehead, and whispered in his ear "Please use this time to think about what we discussed. I love you."

Dipper gave her hand one last squeeze, and then turned and followed Pike out the door.

Aurora stood at the window, watching as they drove off in Pike's Jeep.

"Please, Dipper Pines. Please choose me."

/

Warm air blew through the open windows as the jeep speed down the highway, eating up the miles until Seattle. Pike was strangely quiet as he gripped the steering wheel, focusing intently on the road. Dipper cleared his throat for the third time trying to get his attention.

"Kid, do you need, like, a cough drop or something?"

"No I was just…you know what, never mind," said Dipper, crossing his arms and slouching down in his seat.

"Hey if you wanna talk about something, talk," said Pike, impatiently. "Don't go waiting on me."

Dipper sighed. "It's about Aurora."

"What about her?"

"I…I don't even know where the hell to start," said Dipper, absently picking at a tear in his seat's upholstery.

"How about I have the hots for the sexy dragon lady that sleeps in my room." Pike smirked from his side of the jeep.

Red began to creep up Dipper's neck and ears. "Yeah, I guess bluntly…that."

"Ok…" said Pike, slowly. "So what's the problem?"

Dipper fidgeted with his seatbelt, willing himself to say it. "Wendy."

"Oh…wow kid…I am totally not the person you want to be talking about this to. My relationships…" Pike paused. "You know what, not important. You talk about this with anybody else?"

"Yeah…and they all say pretty much the same thing. That I need to-to move on." He looked down at his hands. He was clenching his fists.

Pike nodded.

"So what do you think?" Dipper asked.

"I think," said Pike, "that it is totally none of my business."

"Seriously?" seethed Dipper. "I am asking your advice on something pretty damn huge and all you've got is 'that its none of my business'. What the actual fuck Pike?"

 _No do not tell him! Do NOT do it Pike. This kid has a chance at a semi normal relationship. Do NOT fuck it up for him._

"Like I said kid, with my track record I am the last person you want to go to for dating advice." Pike offered, his eyes focused on the road.

"Fine." Dipper grumbled, turning to look out the window. _That was no help. Wonder why he doesn't want to talk about it._ "So what's this emergency you needed help with?"

At this, Pike grinned. "I figured you could use a weekend away. Plus, it's your birthday. What's more fun than letting loose in the big city? Or did you _wanna_ be stuck at another of your sister's parties?"

"Wait…seriously?" said Dipper, in disbelief. "No danger, no weirdness, no nothing?"

"Yeah man. Just an epic couple of days in Seattle, with a guardian who thinks rules are made to be broken."

Dipper smiled. "That is just what I needed."

/

"Pike, are you sure we're not, like, going to get arrested or something?" asked Dipper uneasily for the third time. He glanced at the untouched pint glass of cider resting on the rickety wooden table in front of him.

"Relax, man," Pike said, taking a swig from the bottle of whiskey the bartender had tossed him as soon as he walked up to the bar. "These are my people. I practically _live_ here. Nobody's gonna 'tell on you' for being in here and drinking underage. Now drink up."

Dipper sighed, and took a gulp of his cider. "If you get me arrested, you know Mabel's gonna kill you, right?"

Pike nodded sagely. "I'm well aware."

Dipper licked his lips, and furrowed his brow. He sniffed his cider, and took another drink. "Dammit Pike, this is apple juice!"

Pike threw his head back and burst into laughter. " _I'm_ not the best role model, kid, but Luther has this policy against serving alcohol to minors. Something about not wanting to get his bar shut down." He turned his head, and loudly, in the direction of the bar, shouted, "The pansy!"

The bald, colorfully tattooed man behind the bar grinned and flipped Pike the bird.

"Like I said, kid," Pike said with a grin, "these are my people." He took another pull from his bottle of whiskey.

Dipper rolled his eyes, and chugged his glass of apple juice. Setting the empty glass on the table, he asked "Can I at least get a Coke or something?"

"Yeah, man. Just go up to the bar and order whatever you want… that Luther will serve you," amended Pike. "He knows to put it on my tab."

Dipper got up and ambled to the bar with his hands in his pockets, feeling out of place. Luther nodded to him.

"Can I get a Coke?" asked Dipper weakly.

The large man flashed Dipper a gap-toothed grin. "Sure thing, son."

As Luther turned around to grab a glass, Dipper heard a ruckus arise from the vicinity of his and Pike's table.

"Alright, fine, whatever," said Pike loudly, as a small group of women pushed him up onto a small stage set against the wall. He chugged from his bottle of whiskey, then sat on a wooden stool on the stage. Someone handed him a beat-up looking acoustic guitar, which he traded for the now-empty whiskey bottle.

"Ah, looks like Pike's fan club talked him into getting up on stage again," said Luther, as he sat Dipper's drink on the counter.

Dipper eyed the drink, and cocked an eyebrow at the bartender.

"Oh c'mon, the little umbrella makes it more fun," said Luther, his smile infectious.

Dipper just chuckled and shook his head, as he made his way back to his seat.

On the small stage, Pike had started to strum a song, which Dipper recognized. He was surprised that Pike actually sounded really good—he hadn't expected his mechanic/demon hunting friend to be a good musician as well. Dipper sat back in his chair, sipping on his Coke as he listened.

It must be your skin I'm sinking in

It must be for real 'cause now I can feel

And I didn't mind

It's not my kind

It's not my time to wonder why

Everything's gone white

And everything's gray

Now you're here now you're away

I don't want this

Remember that

I'll never forget where you're at

Don't let the days go by

Glycerine, Glycerine

I'm never alone

I'm alone all the time

Are you at one or do you lie?

We live in a wheel

Where everyone steals

But when we rise it's like strawberry fields

If I treated you bad

You bruised my face

Couldn't love you more

You got a beautiful taste

Don't let the days go by

Could have been easier on you

I couldn't change though I wanted to

Should have been easier by three

Our old friend fear and you and me

Glycerine, Glycerine

Don't let the days go by

Glycerine

Don't let the days go by

Glycerine, Glycerine

Glycerine, Glycerine

Black moon white again

Black moon white again

And she falls around me

I needed you more

When we wanted us less

I could not kiss just regress

It might just be

Clear simple and plain

Well, that's just fine

That's just one of my names

Don't let the days go by

Could've been easier on you, you, you

Glycerine, Glycerine

Glycerine, Glycerine *

"Wow, that guy's really good," said a soft female voice in Dipper's ear. He jumped and turned, to see a beautiful, young, blonde sitting next to him at the table. She was wearing a slinky, low-cut black dress, her pale skin accentuated by crimson lips and smoky eyes.

"Oh, sorry, sweetie, I didn't mean to scare you!" she giggled, placing a well-manicured hand on Dipper's arm. He immediately got goosebumps. "Do you know him?" she motioned to the stage, where Pike had begun playing "Heart Shaped Box."

"Yeah, he's Pike. My friend," said Dipper dumbly. Something about this girl made the edges of his mind feel fuzzy.

"And what's your name, friend of Pike?" the girl teased.

"Dipper," he said, as he hoped he wasn't visibly sweating. He drained his drink, and sat the glass on the table, then immediately regretted it, as he came to the sudden realization that he didn't know what to do with his hands.

"Well, Dipper, I'm Lill," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "Looks like you're dry. Me too," she said, wiggling an empty hurricane glass at him. "What're you drinking? My treat."

Dipper felt his ears go red, as he mumbled "Coke."

"Rum and Coke?" asked Lill as she stood.

"Er, no. Just Coke."

"Okay," she said brightly, ignoring Dipper's obvious embarrassment. "Looks like your friend is an 'entire bottle of whiskey' guy, huh?"

"Well, yeah," said Dipper. "But that's really expensive… don't worry about it."

"Nonsense," Lill said, laying a warm hand on his shoulder. "A talented musician like him deserves the VIP treatment. Be right back."

While Lill was up at the bar getting their drinks, Pike finished his song, and, to the boos of his 'fan club,' hopped off the stage, and sat back down with Dipper.

"New friend?" he asked, nodding his head in Lill's direction.

Dipper shrugged. "I guess so? She just sat down and started talking to me. Said she thinks you're really talented."

Pike grinned, and leaned back in his chair. "Well then, I like her already."

Lill arrived back at the table a moment later, carrying a bottle of top shelf whiskey, and a tall glass of Coke with _two_ umbrellas.

"Be still my heart," said Pike, placing his hand over his chest. The bottle of whiskey he had previously finished off was not bottom shelf—but not much better.

"Hi Pike. I'm Lill. Dipper here said you like whiskey?" she said as she sat the bottle in front of him.

"I do indeed," confirmed Pike. "This is awful generous of you. You'll surely be sharing this with me?"

"Oh, no, it's all for you. I have a long island iced tea waiting for me at the bar. I just didn't have enough hands to carry everything." She turned and made her way back to the bar.

"Dude, you're staring," Pike said, kicking Dipper under the table.

"She's…" Dipper trailed off, and gulped half his Coke in one go.

Pike grinned and took a swallow of the pricey whiskey. He closed his eyes, sighing with satisfaction. "She _sure_ is."

Dipper watched as Lill sauntered back to the table, her dress hugging all the right curves.

"Pike… she makes me dizzy…"

/

Soft laughter filled his ears, a counterpoint to the stabbing pain in his skull. Cracking his eyes open Dipper found himself suspended a few inches from the ground, dangling from a chain wrapped around his arms.

"Ugh, what the hell happened?" Dipper groaned.

"KEEP YOUR EYES SHUT! DON'T LOOK AT HER DIP!" Pike shouted at him. Dipper turned his head to see Pike in a similar position on his right.

 _Holy shit, that is a lot of fucking scars._ Pike's torso was a map of old battle wounds, some thin and faded, others looking barely weeks old. Tattoos of strange symbols ran across his shoulders and back, meshing almost perfectly with his network of scars. One tattoo, circling his heart caught Dipper's eye. A name.

"Oh, where's the fun in that?" a voice purred from behind him, causing a pleasurable shiver to run up his spine. She ran her nails along his back, tracing a line to his chest as she slinked around him.

"Lill, I don't understand. Wh-who are you?" Dipper asked, when his brain began to work again.

A slow smile formed on her red lips, as she looked at him from under her extravagant, dark eyelashes. "I can be anything you want me to be. I can—"

"She's a fucking demon Dip. Filthy hell bitch." Pike spat, venom in his voice.

"You watch your tongue, or I will remove it." She snarled turning her attention to Pike. "Worthless male, your kind always want the same thing." She smirked, digging her nails into his side leaving small trails of blood in their wake. "Lucky for me, that's what I live for."

Pike snapped his legs out, wrapping them around her neck in a choke hold. "Vile, filthy demon whore," growled Pike, through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna send you back to whatever hell you crawled out of."

"Pike, what the hell?! Let her go!" cried Dipper. "That's not a demon! Have you absolutely lost it?" A surge of power brought the silver flames to his arms. With a snap his chains fell away, and he dropped to the floor. Rushing over to them, he delivered three quick punches to Pike's kidneys, forcing his legs to drop away.

Dipper stood protectively in front of Lill, glaring daggers at the man chained in the air. She wrapped her arms around Dipper's chest and murmured into his ear.

"He's just jealous of us. He wants me to himself. If he's out of the way, we can be together, Dipper."

"Yes, together." Dipper mumbled, his eyes going blank and jaw going slack.

"Damn it, kid, look at her! Aw, fucking bullshit. **Creaturam tenebras tuas uera."** A tattoo on Pikes shoulder briefly flared with blue light as he cast his spell. _Ok, fuck that shouldn't have been that hard. But that just hit me like a ton of bricks. This is no garden variety Succubus. Wait Lill…oh you have got to be fucking kidding me._ "Dip, man, look at me. Listen to what I'm saying. She. Is. A. Demon. Look at her!"

Dipper heard everything like it was passing through water, his brain was working against him.

"What? Demon?" He turned to glance over his shoulder, every movement like fighting through quicksand.

Glamour undone by Pike's spell, she stood before him in her demonic glory. Horns curled from her temples, black at the base flaring to blood red at the tips. Heavy red wings hung from the center of her back as a long barbed tail, flitted behind her. Dipper swallowed the knot in his throat as she made her way to him, her eyes shining like rubies. "It doesn't bother you does it Dipper? You still love the way I look."

"Y-yes I-"

"SNAP THE FUCK OUT OF IT! She is gonna drain you dry kid," shouted Pike. "Think about Aurora, huh? Do you really want to do this to her?"

She moved in close, licking her lips, a hair's breadth from kissing him. "You want this, don't you Dipper?" she said low.

Out of desperation, Pike cried "What would Wendy say?"

A warmth flowed through Dipper, as thoughts of his red haired love filled him. Silver fire coated his form pushing the succubus away. Dipper snarled, a primal cry escaping his lips.

"I am going to make you pay."

"Oh the little whelp has teeth," the demon mocked. "Do your worst _Little_ Dipper."

"With pleasure," Dipper said, narrowing his eyes. He held his right fist in front of him, blazing with silver flame, which morphed, liquid-like, until the flames took the form of a silver sword, it's surface crackling with rift energy.

"What a pretty toy," spat the demon. "Too bad it won't save you." She sprang forward, lightning fast, dodging Dipper's swing easily. Before he could blink, she was behind him.

"Missed me," she taunted in his ear.

His rage building, Dipper forgot all his training, his discipline. He swung around to face her, and started wildly slashing. She easily dodged his sword, lightly dancing backward.

"This is so easy it's almost pathetic," she said, giggling.

Dipper's response was to let loose an animalistic scream, and run directly at the she-demon, his intent to skewer her.

"I don't think so," she said, smiling thinly. With a flick of her fingers, Dipper was catapulted backwards through the air, where he flew quite gracefully, until something solid interfered. He smashed into a wall, leaving a huge dent, and slid down to the floor in a heap, a section of the rusty, corrugated metal of the warehouse collapsing down on top of him. The only part of Dipper left visible was his hand, still grasping the flaming silver sword. The flames flickered for a moment, then went out.

"That was quite a pathetic appetizer," said the demon, dusting off her hands and turning slowly to face her other bound captive. "I hope the main course is more fil—"

A hard punch to her jaw cut her off. She stumbled backward, clutching her face.

Pike laughed coldly. "Handcuffs, Lillith? Really?" He chucked them forcefully at her head, causing her to duck. "You'd think the Queen of Hell would have more secure resources at her disposal."

"Oh, this one wants to play, does he?" said Lillith, a malevolent grin spreading across her face.

"Hate to disappoint, but I'd rather just get down to business," said Pike, his casual demeanor belying the manic rage building in his chest. He maintained eye contact with the she-demon as he clenched his fists and began chanting. "Sacra flamma ignis indignatio mea. Sacra flamma ignis indignatio mea…"

Lillith's eyes widened, as Pike's fists both burst into brilliant, deep blue flame. "That's not—"

It was Pike's turn to grin malevolently, as he glared up at her from under his brows, the blue flames casting an eerie glow on his face. "It sure is."

The demon's features twisted into an expression she was unfamiliar with—fear. "That's not possible… You're not—"

"Oh, but what if I am?" said Pike, smirking, and slowly walking towards her as he held her eye contact.

"No! You keep away from me!" cried Lillith, as she attempted to dart around Pike, who was blocking the only way out of the warehouse. With inhuman swiftness, Pike shot out an arm and clotheslined the demon.

He bent over her as she lay on the floor, grabbing at her throat. "Sorry, bitch, but you came after _me_. You don't get to run away with…your weird demon tail… tucked between your legs."

Pike reached down and picked Lillith up by the neck, the blue flames wreathing his hand blistering her skin, and rammed her forcefully into a steel support beam.

"That," Pike said low, "was for what you did to your 'appetizer'." He rammed her into the beam once again, her eyes wide with fear and her limbs flopping uselessly, like a rag doll.

"That," he grunted, "was because I don't like your face."

Lillith's mouth moved, but the blisters were spreading onto her face and down her chest. All she could do was gasp in pain.

"AND THIS," Pike shouted, as he grasped her neck with both flaming hands, squeezing hard, "IS FOR HAVING THE FUCKING AUDACITY TO EXSIST." He wrenched her from the support beam, as she clawed uselessly at his hands, and dashed her to the concrete floor.

She landed with a dull, sickening thud, her eyes wide, but glazed over. Blue flames were now spreading over her body, her flesh bubbling and oozing.

Pike watched her burn for a moment, then took a deep breath, clenched his fists again, and whispered "Flammis sacris recedere. Sanctum est opus consummavi."

The blue flames flickered out, and Pike sank to his knees, shaking. A new streak of gray shot through his dark hair.

Still shuddering slightly, he slowly got to his feet, and trudged slowly over to the collapsed wall, where Dipper was buried. He pulled away the rubble, to find his young friend still breathing, just unconscious.

"Sorry, kid," he muttered, as he soundly smacked Dipper across the face.

Dipper's eyes fluttered open, and he brought a hand to his face. "Owwwww, what the actual fuck?!"

"There's the Dipper I know," said Pike with a weary grin. "C'mon, let's get you out of here."

He helped Dipper to his feet, and they both supported each other as they walked slowly toward the door. Dipper was still blinking, trying to bring his eyes into focus.

"What happened to the succubus?" he asked.

"She's dealt with," Pike said simply.

"Oh, good," said Dipper. Then he sniffed the air, a strange look on his face.

"What smells like barbeque?"

/

They made it to Pike's home shortly after dawn. Sleep blurring his eyes, Dipper paused, taking a long hard look at the building. "You live in a church?"

"Yeah…problem?"

"No…" Dipper shrugged. "It's just you don't seem very…you know religious."

"It's not so much a matter of my beliefs Dip, as much as it is that the things that go bump in the night tend to avoid places like this. Makes it very convenient, when I need to recharge my batteries or lick my wounds." Pike placed his hands on his hips, and leaned backward, stretching until his vertebrae popped like firecrackers. He sighed, and shook his shoulders loose.

"So nothing can get in?" asked Dipper, incredulously.

"I didn't say that. But for the most part yeah." Pike ruffled Dipper's messy hair. "You can relax here, kid."

As Dipper walked through the large double doors, he saw that the sanctuary had been converted into an open living space.

"Go ahead and crash on the couch kid," said Pike, indicating in the direction of a large, well-worn-in, leather sofa. "I'm gonna get started on packing some stuff up. Think you can stand me hanging around for a few weeks?"

"That would be great, Pike. It'll be awesome to have you around." Dipper replied sleepily as he collapsed onto the couch, sighing.

Dipper's heavy snores soon filled the apartment as Pike stuffed random clothes and books into bags.

 _Gods, I need a drink. And a shower. Hell, the kid will be out for a while._

Pike stood in the blistering spray, letting the water wash the weariness from his muscles, as he took a long drink from a heavy, green glass bottle. The light dimmed briefly and he felt a presence in the room.

"All hail the conquering hero." A low, throaty, feminine voice crooned.

Pike knew that voice. He squeezed the bottle hard enough that he heard a crack, and felt a white hot pain in his palm. Blood began mixing with the water from his shower, swirling down the drain.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I do_ not _need this right now._

"Cut the crap," growled Pike. "What do you want?"

"Oh Oliver. I'm hurt. What makes you think that I want anything?" The voice echoed of the bathroom tile, making it hard for Pike to sense where it originated.

The lights dimmed further, sinking the room into near darkness.

"You got very lucky today, little hero. How much longer do you think it can last?" The soft concern in the voice might have been comforting to others, but it set Pike's teeth on edge.

"We all gotta go sometime, right?" he said flippantly.

" _They_ want you gone Oliver. You really think you can fight that all by your lonesome?"

"What kind of game are you playing at?" asked Pike, irritated.

"No games. You obviously have no idea the maelstrom you've been stirring up. They have decided that you are a problem that needs to be dealt with, _permanently_."

Pike swallowed hard. _Am I really that high up on their shit list? Damn, and I thought I had a couple more years left in the tank._

He felt hands of shadow on his back, gritting his teeth to force the sensation away. "My offer still stands. I'd keep you safe—and imagine how much more fun life would be if you just lost all those _morals_ and let yourself go for once." The voice was now whispering directly in Pike's ear. "Think about it Oliver, by my side no one could touch you."

Pike tried to shrug the hands off. "Go the fuck away."

"Very well. Bear in mind, however, that it is _always_ more fun in the dark. I'll be close. Watching. Waiting. Just remember _Pike_ —you don't have much time left." The presence vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The water had turned to ice by the time Pike was able to move again. He wrapped a washcloth tightly around his bleeding hand until he could bandage it properly. Throwing an old pair of jeans on, he made his way to the basement: the armory. Weapons, both modern and ancient, hung from the walls. Dusty work benches sat covered in plans and parts, ideas half finished.

In the center of the room sat a large chest, bound with heavy chains. Pike's hand paused over the lock. _No, not yet. I don't think things have gotten that drastic yet._ He could feel the object within even though the heavy wood. It called to him, begging to be released. _Damn…I forgot how strong the pull of this thing was…if they really do come after me…then maybe… But this thing was hidden for a reason…better keep it that way for now._

/

"Can I ask you something?" asked Dipper, reluctantly, as the pair drove back toward Gravity Falls later that evening. "That name on your chest, is she why the succubus didn't affect you?"

"Yeah," said Pike quietly, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.

"You never talk about her though; did something happen?"

Pike sighed. "It's a long story."

"We got time."

Pike grunted, then took a deep breath, and began his story. "I met this girl almost 20 years ago now—"

"The blonde from L.A.?" interrupted Dipper.

"Yeah, her. She… was perfect. Beautiful, strong, stubborn…perfect. I found someone I could be myself with for the first time in so long, and then she was gone." Pike clenched his jaw, and continued. "It felt like I lost a piece of myself. She just made me want to be better, like I could do more than I ever thought I was capable of. She's why I started doing what I do in the first place."

"But…if you guys aren't like together…" Dipper trailed off.

"Yeah…she moved on a long time ago." Pike paused for a moment, to gather his thoughts. As headlights flashed by, Dipper could see the pain illuminated on his mentor's face.

"Now, don't misunderstand me," Pike continued. "I've seen a few people. But—they aren't her. No one will ever be like her. She will always hold that place in my heart. I know, that sounds like some cheesy movie line, but even after all this time I still love her. No one can even come close."

"You think maybe I can get that advice now?" asked Dipper, quietly.

"Yeah kid, sure." Pike went silent for a moment. "You and that dragon have something really special, something akin to an actual soulmate. That kind of thing doesn't happen very often. And it's obvious you love this girl. And all of your friends think you should go for it, that you need to move on with your life. But still you hold back. They think you're holding on to memories and just can't let go. But do you want to know why you can't do it?"

"Why?"

"Because you hope," said Pike. "Everyday. Even if it's not a conscious thought, some part of you hopes that today is the day. The day you see her again. Aurora loves you, she always will. But she isn't your Wendy."

"How—" began Dipper.

"I've seen how you acted with both of them, kid." Pike said, cutting him off. "I'm not an idiot."

"Are you _sure_ you're not a little biased?" asked Dipper, suspiciously.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" responded Pike, his voice dangerous.

'Well…I mean…" Dipper hesitated for a moment. "Wendy is your daughter, isn't she?"

The jeep slammed to a complete stop.

"Thought so," said Dipper, softly. "…You wanna talk about it?"

"No," said Pike, as he put his foot back on the accelerator, and the Jeep began to rumble forward once again. He sighed, and against his better judgement, told Dipper something he'd never told anyone else.

"It was Danny and Jess's wedding day. I was going to be leaving town as soon as the ceremony was done. We had no idea how deep she was in the magic at that point, how far gone she really was."

"So what happened?" asked Dipper, his curiosity piqued.

"She didn't want me to go," Pike said, his voice trembling slightly. "She was used to getting her way and it pissed her off that I was still going to leave. Sh-she… seduced me… with her magic. Right before she was supposed to walk down the aisle to my brother. She thought she wiped the memories from our heads, but I never forgot." He swallowed hard. "Never."

"Wow…" Dipper didn't know what to say. "That's-that's pretty screwed up."

"That's how bad the magic had twisted her…anyway," Pike continued, "fast forward two years, to when I finally show my face back home. Imagine my surprise at this little baby girl who looks—well, she looks like a Corduroy… but nothing like my brother. I couldn't confirm it then, but her attitude growing up…it was like looking in a mirror."

"But you could never be sure," prompted Dipper.

"Right…until I finally broke down and snuck a blood sample from her," said Pike, his face an emotionless mask. "I've known for years she's mine."

"But you never said anything…she still thought Dan was her father," said Dipper. "Why?"

"I wasn't about to tear her world apart any more than it already was."

"I can understand that. But…how did you ever forgive Jessica?" asked Dipper.

"I never said I did…I know it was the magic that corrupted her, made her evil." Pike's voice was shaking slightly again; he could feel himself starting to lose his carefully maintained façade of composure. "But at some level… she knew what she was doing. Wh-what she did to me—what she did to her family… to Wendy… I don't know that I ever can."

"But—"

"Look Dip, I think that's enough for tonight," said Pike, his voice strained. "I've already been talking about shit that I don't talk about. With anyone. Ever. So how 'bout we just enjoy the ride. Cool?"

Dipper sighed, and stared out the window, watching the forest whip past in the darkness.

"Yeah, Pike. Cool."

/

Mabel had been delighted when Dipper arrived home during their birthday party, but was once again miffed at him, because he insisted he had a headache from fighting demons, and just wanted to lay down in his room. She had not relented until Dipper made her feel the huge goose egg on the back of his head.

"Holy crap, Dipper," she exclaimed. "What gave you that?"

"A…uh… a wall, I think," Dipper mumbled. "Can I please just go take some headache meds and lay down now?"

"Ugh, fine," said Mabel, crossing her arms. "Stupid Pike… stupid demons… stupid wall," she mumbled to herself as she walked back toward the bulk of the partiers.

As he started for the stairs, he felt a hand on his arm.

"Would you like some company?" asked Aurora, concern in her eyes.

Dipper thought for a moment. "Maybe in a little bit, after the meds have had time to kick in," he said finally. He started to walk up the stairs, but her hand on his arm gripped tighter.

"Have you made your decision?" she looked up at him, her amber eyes pleading.

"I… uh… look, my head really hurts," said Dipper, hurriedly. "I can't even think straight right now. Just come upstairs in like a half-hour, okay? I promise we'll talk then."

Aurora sighed. "Okay, Dipper. I will be up in a little bit." She let his arm go, and he quickly made his way upstairs. He took some headache medicine, and lay down on his bed, in complete darkness, save for the glow of his alarm clock.

He closed his eyes. His head was throbbing, but not only because of its recent collision with a wall. He hadn't chosen yet. He thought everything was fine… he really had planned on trying to move on. He _did_ love Aurora. However, when the succubus had him enthralled, it was thoughts of Wendy, _not_ Aurora, that broke her spell.

 _Dammit, what am I supposed to do? Wendy's been gone… gods… she's been gone exactly three years tonight… and I still can't get over her. But I also love Aurora. She's beautiful, and sweet, and we share an incredible bond that most people will never get to experience. Everyone wants me to let go of Wendy, to choose Aurora. I want to be able to… But my feelings for Wendy aren't something I can just turn off. And what Pike said is right… it's hope that keeps my feelings for her alive. She just—disappeared. No evidence of foul play… No evidence at all. Weird things happen all the time in Gravity Falls. But Aurora… she's amazing. We're literally perfect together. Without her presence in my mind, I've been lonelier than I've felt in a long time… If I don't choose her, it'll absolutely break her heart. She's waited for me patiently these entire three years. This is the first time she's actually pushed me to make a decision… and she deserves one. But what the_ hell _happened to Wendy? I thought_ she _was my soulmate. Can a person have two soulmates? How does that work?_

Dipper's thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

 _Shit._

He opened his eyes, squinting at the brightly lit digital numbers on his clock. Almost midnight.

"Dipper?" Aurora's voice sounded smaller than normal, more vulnerable.

"Come on in 'Rora," he called, sitting up on the bed.

She entered the room, closing the door softly behind her. She quietly padded to the bed, and sat down next to Dipper. She was shaking.

"Oh, 'Rora," said Dipper softly, gathering her into his arms and kissing the top of her head.

"Dipper, I think I am regretting asking you to choose," she said, slightly muffled as her face was buried in his shoulder. "I do not like this feeling. Like impending doom. Because… if you do not choose me, _this_ can't happen anymore."

She looked up into his face, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, and pulled his head down to hers, their mouths meeting in an impassioned kiss.

She pulled away, the tears actively streaming down her cheeks. "It… it would be too painful. And empty… if you choose someone who is no longer even with us… over me… someone who is here, and will continue to be here. You are everything to me, Dipper. We are bonded. And even…" her voice grew thick, as she held back sobs. "Even if you do not choose me, our bond will remain, unbreakable, until one of us dies." She finally broke down in sobs, melting in Dipper's arms. All she could manage to get out between sobs was simply "Please, please, please."

Dipper's heart broke. He held her, rocking her as she cried. Finally, when her sobs began to subside, Dipper tipped her face up to his, and kissed her gently on the forehead, and both cheeks, tasting the salt of her tears.

"I love you, you silly dragon," he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. "I've made my decision."

Aurora, trembling uncontrollably, looked into his eyes.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Dipper glanced to the side. It was just the glowing numbers of his digital clock ticking over to midnight.

He took both of Aurora's hands in his. "Aurora," he said, his voice trembling, "I—"

… _we were the same age._ "—day Dipper!"

Wendy Corduroy was back.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 16: Wrath Of The Gnome Queen

/

So…that happened. Yeah…so ShoutOuts.

 **Fereality, NecroticHate, Really Bored Guy, A Pleasant Dream, MorgothII, Guest, LimboticMistisos, ilikecartoonsandzombies, NyaNyaKittyface.** Thanks for keeping with me and continuing to review. You Guys Rock!

Special Shoutout to my partner in crime **Geekngroom** who helps me put this mishmash of ideas into something that is actually readable.

/

*Glycerine-Bush-Sixteen Stone

Peace


	16. Wrath Of The Gnome Queen

Chapter Sixteen

Wrath of The Gnome Queen

 **And it came  
Just like the rising sun  
The shame of everything I've done  
And the pain blew in just like a storm  
And now it rains  
And will forever more  
What's a boy to do  
I have nobody but you  
My heart is sad but true  
The midnight blue**

 **And you died  
Out there in the sun  
The dead rose  
From the ceiling it hung  
And you cried, you cried out your fucking eyes  
Before you sang me happy birthday one last time  
What's a girl to do  
I have nobody but you  
Your heart is sad but true  
The midnight blue  
Midnight blue  
Midnight blue  
Midnight blue**

 **I keep a photograph in a drawer  
Since the day you left me at my door  
And now there's nothing left of you and me  
I'm a total wreck  
I'm smoldering  
What's a boy to do  
I have nobody but you  
And our hearts are sad but true  
Midnight blue  
Midnight blue  
Midnight blue  
Midnight blue  
And now our hearts are midnight blue  
-Alkaline Trio, My Shame is True, Midnight Blue**

/

The heart of the forest held many secrets. Deep in a sacred hollow, the gnomes made their home. A large oak tree stood in the center of a moonlit grove, jagged shards of crystal growing from its trunk and limbs. The crystals seemed to collect the moonlight filtering through the canopy, bathing the hidden dell in soft silvery light. A hunched man ran an ancient withered hand over the trunk.

"Hmmmm...yes amplification crystals have grown nicely…appear to be operating well beyond expectations…" The man trailed off, pulling a tablet from beneath his cloak. "Yes, perfect. Readings indicate complete absorption…"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?" shouted a voice from down near the man's knee. "This is gnome territory and you are trespassing."

The old man turned to gaze down at the interruption to his work, a smirk of contempt appearing on his face. "Oh. I am terribly sorry. I had forgotten that you _creatures_ still existed."

"Listen buddy, you got one chance to scram before I call for the rest of us."

"Now, now. I understand. Life has been cruel to you. It isn't easy being on the bottom. But what if I could fix it for you, what would you say to that?"

"Hey, the gnomes are an ancient and powerful race! We don't need help from nobody."

"Ahhh yes. Of course…I understand perfectly. You want for nothing; you have everything you desire. And of course your queen looks after you…" _Yes lay the bait…_

"Our queen? We-We haven't had a queen in…that's not the point."

The withered old man rubbed at the scraggly hair the hung from his face. "But don't the gnomes need a queen? I could help you with that…I can make you…stronger…better. You wouldn't have to worry about being on the bottom of the food chain anymore."

"You…you can do that? What's it gonna cost us?"

"Nothing…nothing at all. Just if you could please sign this waiver, freeing me from any legal disputes that may arise." He said, holding the tablet in front of the gnome.

"So what's this all say exactly?"

"Oh it's just in case you aren't fully satisfied with my _services_ , it frees me from any responsibilities. Very standard scientific release form."

"Okay, sure…and done. So how is this going to help us get a queen?"

A wicked grin crept over the man's face, his yellow teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Swiping through various tabs on his tablet he pulled open a folder simply labeled 'VIRUS'.

"I have often wondered what would happen to the creatures of the forest if a source of corruption was introduced. I hope that it will provide me with some interesting results."

"Wait, what now?"

As the old man touched the tablet's screen, a ball of pure darkness appeared in the air.

"Hmm yes this should do nicely…just the right mix of scorn, rage, envy, and hatred all rolled into one convenient package."

With a flick of his hand, the dark orb was sent spinning into the largest crystal at the base of the tree. Black tendrils moved through the crystal like oil on water, spreading upwards, tainting everything in its path. The soft silvery light that had filled the glade now took on an inky glow. The gnome fell to his knees in extreme pain, his guttural scream breaking through the glade.

The old man slowly made his way back through the trees, chuckling to himself. He was already taking notes with his tablet.

"Initial observations positive…continue to monitor over the next 48 hours…this promises to be quite interesting."

/

In the darkness, where only moments ago there were two heartbeats pounding in unison, a third joined in; a fluttering counterpoint to the steady cadence of the others.

Dipper leapt to his feet, knocking Aurora back onto his bed. All the blood drained from his face, rendering it so pale that it nearly glowed in the dim room.

"Wh—I—no," he stammered, bolting for the door. "No, no, no…" He threw the door open and ran, nearly knocking Mabel down in his hurry to escape the force of the curveball that reality had just aimed directly at him. He tore through the house, weaving past party guests, and when he made it to the front door, he kept running. He didn't look back. He couldn't.

Wendy stood rooted to the spot in Dipper's room.

"Aurora?" she said, recognizing her friend in the shaft of light falling on the bed from the now open door. "What the hell are you doing in here? Who was that you were making out with? And where's Dipper?!"

Aurora took a shuddering breath, trying to comprehend what had just happened. "Wendy." It wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"Yeah, what?" said Wendy, impatience creeping into her voice. "Are you going to answer me or not? What are you doing in here, and where is Dipper?"

Aurora felt an emotion she couldn't quite identify rising in her chest. She gulped, trying to push the feeling away. This was a situation that she never considered. The idea of anything remotely like this happening had never even crossed her mind. She wasn't sure how to respond. She decided on honesty.

"That _was_ Dipper," Aurora said quietly, her face emotionless.

"Ha, yeah right," laughed Wendy. "That guy was way too tall and muscular to be Dipper. Nice catch, though. Good for you. Now where is Dipper? The little dude was _just_ here—I was wishing him happy birthday."

The emotion rising in Aurora's chest couldn't be contained any longer. She stood up, clenching her fists at her sides. " _That_ _was_ _Dipper_!" she said, her throat tight. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she seemed not to notice them. "You've been gone _three years_! Why did you have to show back up now?!"

"Wh—" began Wendy, but she was cut off by Mabel pushing the door the rest of the way open, and flicking on the light switch. Pacifica followed closely on her heels.

"What's wrong with Dipper?" Mabel asked Aurora. "He just ran out of here like he'd seen a ghost!"

Pacifica gasped, and jabbed Mabel in the ribs, pointing across the room, where Mabel had yet to look.

"HOLY—OH MY—WHAT THE—WENDY!" shrieked Mabel, launching herself at the redhead, hugging her with reckless abandon. It took Mabel a moment to realize that Wendy was not returning the hug. She pulled away, and held Wendy at arm's length, taking in the details of her long-lost friend's appearance.

As soon as she had seen Mabel and Pacifica, Wendy began trembling. A cold feeling formed in her stomach, and spread outward to her limbs. Her heart was pounding, but her body had lost all warmth.

While Aurora appeared the same as usual, Mabel and Pacifica were older versions of themselves. They looked to be about Wendy's age.

"Oh my stars, where have you been, Wendy?!" asked Mabel. "You haven't aged a day!"

"I… I haven't _been_ anywhere," said Wendy, panic evident in her voice. "Did you guys get into some kind of age-acceleration potion or something? You look like—"

"We're seventeen," interrupted Pacifica. "Wendy, you disappeared on Dipper and Mabel's birthday three years ago."

"S-so that—that really was Dipper that just ran out of here?" asked Wendy. She was feeling lightheaded. "B-but he was—"

"Making out with me," Aurora finished for her coldly. Although bloodshot, her eyes were hard. Three years ago, Wendy had been Dipper's mate, and Aurora had accepted that her own bond with him would never be able to cross certain boundaries. In the subsequent years after Wendy's disappearance, however, Dipper was mate-less, and thus Aurora had allowed their bond to grow beyond those previous boundaries. Even if Dipper would not admit it to himself, Aurora had become his mate.

Wendy felt like an icy dagger had been shoved into her sternum. Her whole head went numb, and her legs gave out, as she struggled to comprehend what she was being told. She sank to the floor of Dipper's bedroom. Her lungs felt like they couldn't inflate. Her mind flashed back to the sight of an older Dipper and Aurora embracing that had met her as she opened her eyes—when she'd been prepared to be greeted by a sweet kiss from her fourteen-year-old boyfriend.

Pacifica quickly crossed the room and helped Wendy up into Dipper's desk chair. Although Wendy and Paz had never been particularly close, Wendy held her hand tightly, as if she was afraid she'd float away if she let go.

Across the room, Aurora sat back on the bed, glaring at the ashen-faced redhead. Mabel sat on the bed next to her and put her arm around Aurora's shoulders.

"So-somebody please… tell me what happened?" Wendy pleaded, her voice raw.

The four girls sat in silence for a moment, until Mabel finally spoke up.

"The night of our fourteenth birthday party, Dipper said you and he were up in his room, talking. He closed his eyes for a kiss, and he heard you start to wish him a happy birthday… but you just cut off in the middle of it." She paused, collecting herself. Her twin brother's anguish had strongly affected her, and talking about it brought those feelings back to the surface. "He ran downstairs, screaming for you. Looked all over. We all did. He didn't sleep for like three days. Finally, Pike gave him something that knocked him out, and he slept—but the entire time he was sobbing and crying your name. It was awful."

Pacifica took up the story. "Dipper and your dad went to the police and filled out a missing person's report. The whole town turned out to search the forest. Dipper talked to the Multibear, the Manotaurs, Greyfang's pack, even the gnomes. Nobody had any idea what had happened to you. You had vanished without a trace. There was no evidence of abduction, or even that you'd run away." Pacifica squeezed Wendy's hand, which was ice cold and trembling violently.

"He even tried to re-open the portal," continued Mabel. "He almost did, too, until Grunkle Ford and Pike laid into him. He was so mad at them. He thought maybe somehow you had gotten sucked into the rift, and that you were lost in another dimension. He had been willing to step into the rift, and search the multiverse for you."

Wendy sniffled. "Well it looks like he changed his mind about _that_ ," she said, looking up from beneath her lids at Aurora, who met her gaze coldly.

"For two years— _two years_ —Dipper mourned you completely," said Aurora bitterly. "He would wake up sobbing, screaming your name. I cannot count the number of times I held him and stroked his hair while he cried himself back to sleep. As he grew, many girls threw themselves at him, but he wanted nothing to do with them. He was holding out hope that his Wendy would return to him. I was there with him, always. I have loved him deeply from the first, as my bond with Dipper lets me see what is in his heart—and what is in his heart is good. Pure. Over time, I realized that my love for him was also romantic in nature. I wanted him to be whole again, wanted to heal him. Our bond let me know what he needed, and I provided it for him—whether it was a listening ear, or something more…physical."

Wendy stood from her chair abruptly, her green eyes full of ire. "Cool story, bro," she spat. "Here's my side of the story. I never left this room. Fifteen minutes ago, I was helping _my boyfriend_ celebrate his fourteenth birthday. Mentally, I was wishing we were the same age, because—well, that doesn't matter. I closed my eyes, and just before I was going to lean in to kiss him, I said 'Happy Birthday, Dipper.' When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the same place, but Dipper was apparently making out on the bed with Aurora. You say three years have passed—I don't know what happened, but for me, it was a split second. I never stopped being his girlfriend. Aurora—you were my friend—and you betrayed me."

"But Wen," said Mabel softly, "you were gone for us. For _three whole years_. You can't blame Aurora for trying to heal Dipper's broken heart. He was only just coming around to the idea of making things with her official—three years after you vanished. If you think about it, she's now known him longer than you ever did. You only dated him for a few months…" Aurora sat next to Mabel, nodding, with a slight smirk on her lips.

Wendy's pale cheeks flushed scarlet. She opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten to it by Pacifica.

"Mabel, I don't think you're being fair," she said. "Yeah, Aurora has tried to help Dipper get over Wendy for three years, but that's just it—three years later, he clearly still has feelings for Wendy. Aurora wouldn't have had to give him an ultimatum otherwise. He could have chosen to give up on Wendy and become official with Aurora at any point in the past three years. But he didn't. She had to push him into even considering it," Pacifica paused. "By the way, _did_ he ever tell you his decision, Aurora?"

The dragon girl scoffed. "No, but I'm fairly certain what it was going to be. We were kissing, and he told me he made his decision. Then _she_ showed back up and Dipper completely freaked out and left."

"I think he was gonna choose 'Rora," offered Mabel. "Sorry Wen, but she's been with him longer. Maybe you should bow out gracefully, and make things easier for the two of them. Dipper's suffered enough."

"Mabel…" Wendy trailed off. "You're on her side?"

"Yeah, what the heck?" asked Pacifica. "You think she should just 'bow out' and not fight for the person she loves the most in the world? Especially when no time has passed for her at all? She should just give up?!"

"Paz, it's just that—"

"No. No, Mabel. It's not 'just that,'" spat Pacifica. "Wendy should be allowed to fight for the one she loves. And Dipper should be the one to make the decision, not have it made for him. I think you're just biased because you want Aurora to be your sister."

Mabel frowned. "That's not true! I just want to make things easier on Dipper. I love him too much to see him torn up over this."

"It's too late for that, Mabel," said Wendy. "He's seen me. The way he freaked out—he's definitely already torn up over this. And I'm not giving up on him, no matter what you say."

"You need to stay out of it and let your brother decide who he wants to be with," said Pacifica.

"Oh yeah?" shouted Mabel. "Who asked _you_ anyway? He's _my_ brother."

Pacifica leveled a steely gaze at Mabel. "You're right. What was I thinking, having an objective opinion? My bad." She walked to the door. "I can tell where I'm not wanted. Good luck playing matchmaker, Mabel." Pacifica turned on her heel, and fled down the stairs, trying to keep Mabel from seeing her cry.

Mabel screamed in frustration, threw herself down on Dipper's bed, nearly hitting Aurora, who stood up quickly to get out of the way.

Wendy stepped toward Aurora, causing her to flinch. Wendy laughed darkly. "Scared?"

Aurora's lips formed a tight line. "I'm a dragon. I'm not afraid of a lumberjane."

Wendy smiled. "Maybe you should be." She walked toward the door, and stretched. "Well, I think I'm gonna go crash on the sofa and wait for Dipper to come home. It's getting entirely too bitchy in here."

/

The door to the Corduroy cabin swung open revealing the darkened interior, heavy dust swirling in the faint light of the doorway. Boxes were piled up all around the living room, mantle and walls had been made bare of all photographs.

Pike noticed all this with a detached interest, his focus solely on making it to the couch before slipping into unconsciousness; the toll of invoking his powers had finally caught up to him. His knees buckled and gravity did the rest as he fell face first onto the sofa, allowing himself to finally relax after the events of the past 24 hours. He closed his eyes and sighed, rolling over to make himself comfortable.

Cracking his eyes open to make sure he had closed the door, Pike found he was no longer in the cabin. He was lying in a soft field of clover, wildflowers swaying around him a gentle breeze. The sun shone brightly in a cloudless azure sky, warming him like a spring day.

Pike groaned, "Okay. Come on out, let's get this over with." He stood, brushing flower petals off his jeans. A soft laugh behind him caused him to turn, bringing him face to face with a small child.

"You were extremely lucky in your fight against Lillith, brave knight." She stated simply, her voice high and light.

"You called me here to tell me that? Just save the pretty speeches and get to the point."

Her brow furrowed as the breeze wafted her silver hair behind her.

"Fine." She pouted, "You were careless, and it nearly cost you the boy."

"Hey, I handled it. How many _mortals_ do you think could have taken out a hell bitch of that caliber?"

"That's the whole point, Oliver." The small girl sighed. "You shouldn't have been able to. _They_ are not happy…at all. The forces of the universe conspire against you, and you stand alone before them."

Pike swallowed hard, "How much time do I have?"

"Not much longer."

"You know I won't go down without a fight."

"Yes I know, and so do they. Of course there is a way to avoid all of that."

"Seriously? That's what this visit is about? I've told you before, I'll tell you again. No. Period."

"Please Oliver, reconsider. You could do so much good by my side. The eternal knight-errant, no more tilting at windmills—you would have genuine purpose."

Pike's face went cold. "You and your _sister_ are exactly the same. You think you can show up here with warnings of doom and gloom, and I'll just jump at the chance to be saved. Fuck that."

The child's soft grey eyes flashed hard. "You will make a choice before the end, Pike. Even if it is on your deathbed. Follow the Light—or Fall to Darkness."

"Are you finished? 'Cause I'm so tired of all this bullshit, and just want to sleep."

The little girl smiled, tight lipped. "I'll be seeing you Oliver."

Those were the last words he heard before sleep claimed him.

/

It was still dark when Wendy woke up. She groaned and cracked her back. The Pines' sofa did not provide a good sleeping surface.

"Wendy," came a soft voice out of the darkness.

"What do you want, Mabel?" asked Wendy bitterly, sitting up and turning on the table lamp next to her. "Decided to kick me out so only his precious Aurora is here to greet him when Dipper comes back?"

"I've thought about it, but no," said Mabel. She genuinely liked Wendy, even if she preferred that Aurora date her brother instead. "I just… I'm worried. I couldn't sleep."

Wendy sighed and patted the seat next to her. "Look, man, I'm pissed as all hell at you, but you're still my friend… I hope. If you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks Wen," said Mabel, sitting down. "Although don't think this will change my opinion about Dipper and Aurora."

"Yeah, whatever," said Wendy sourly. "What's got you so worried?"

"Well, I can't reach Dipper, for one. I tried calling him, but his phone is off or dead, because it went straight to voicemail. The way he ran off—I just want to make sure he's okay," said Mabel, fiddling with her cellphone, unable to look Wendy in the eye.

Wendy let out a short, harsh laugh. "Oh, sweet, sweet Mabel," she said, patting her friend's knee, "He's not okay. He's not gonna be okay. Not for a good while, probably. If he feels half as confused and betrayed as I do—that's some psychiatrist-level not-okayness. I know Dipper…"

Wendy paused, the words catching in her throat. "Well, I _knew_ Dipper… He will come back when he's had a chance to calm down. I hope."

Mabel grunted. "Well, that's kinda reassuring, I guess. The other thing is Pacifica…"

"What about her?" asked Wendy, raising an eyebrow.

"She won't answer my calls or texts either," said Mabel, sighing. "And I know her phone is on, because it rings when I call. And she _never_ just doesn't answer texts. I just wanted to try and clear the air with her about the fight we had. Explain my side of things better. I—I don't want her to hate me."

"Mabel, it's," Wendy glanced around the room, looking for a clock, "five in the morning. Paz is probably asleep. Maybe she has her phone on silent? Don't worry about her right now. Give it a few hours and call her again."

"You're right, Wendy," said Mabel, looking down at her feet. "I don't know how you can remain so logical when the world is crashing down around you."

Wendy stared out the window, as the first rays of sunlight began lightening the sky from inky black to pale grey. "Sometimes you have to look at things logically," she said softly. "Sometimes cold logic can be the only thing keeping you from completely falling apart."

The pensive mood that Wendy's words brought on was abruptly lifted by the patter of bare feet racing down the staircase. Mabel and Wendy's heads shot up in unison, to be greeted by the sight of a scowling Aurora, dressed only in one of Dipper's old t-shirts, and panties.

"I heard voices," said Aurora. "I thought Dipper might be back. I'm surprised _you_ have the audacity to still be here."

Wendy laughed. "I'm surprised that _you_ still haven't learned how to dress like a human being."

"Your opinion doesn't matter to me," said Aurora, her voice mockingly sweet. " _Dipper_ seems to like it that I dress like this. Every night. In bed with him."

Wendy launched herself off the sofa, and smacked Aurora so hard, that the dragoness stumbled backward, hitting the bannister behind her.

"HEY!" shouted Mabel, as Aurora leapt up to retaliate. "We all love Dipper. He wouldn't want you two _fighting_ over him. Wendy, you go to my room. Do whatever, I don't care. Aurora, you go back to Dipper's room. You both need to take some time to calm down. You used to be friends."

"Friends don't sleep half naked with their friend's boyfriend," spat Wendy. She marched to Mabel's room and slammed the door.

/

Pike woke to the sound of a high pitched beeping. Sleep still clouded his brain as he rolled off the couch. _Shit the house is on fire…but I see no flames…what the hell?_ The noise shut off abruptly, as a head poked in from the kitchen.

"Sorry Ollie. Forgot Dan had installed really sensitive smoke alarms." Jessica Corduroy was in the kitchen.

"I'll save the jab about your cooking for a later time," said Pike. He rubbed the back of his neck. "But, uh, just what the fuck are you doing in my house?"

Jess laughed. "Really, Ollie? Hostility already? After I cooked you breakfast and everything?"

"Look Jess," Pike said as he walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. "I know things between us aren't as bad as when you were an evil, psychopathic witch who tried to kill your daughter's boyfriend, but I'm not ready to be all rainbows and kittens with you either." He grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate Jessica sat in front of him, and shoved it whole into his mouth.

"And yet you're eating the food I cooked you," said Jessica, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter.

"I'm fucking hungry," said Pike, through a mouthful of buttered biscuit. He swallowed, and gulped down some orange juice. "But you still haven't answered me. Why are you here?"

Jessica sighed. "You know how I told you I got a teaching job, and that's why I was moving out of the apartment you'd set me up with in Seattle?"

Pike nodded, working on another piece of bacon.

"Well, that position is here… GFHS."

Pike's jaw dropped; the piece of bacon he'd been raising to his lips fell back onto the plate with a quiet plop. "That's a really bad idea, Jess."

"Like hell it is," snapped Jessica. "I've been trying to regain a sense of normalcy in my life, and Gravity Falls is, and always has been, home to me. Since Wendy disappeared, and Dan and the boys moved away and left you the house, I figured there was no reason I shouldn't stay here, since you didn't express any interest in living here."

"Okay, but what about the fact that nearly everyone in town witnessed you attempt to murder a boy in cold blood three years ago?" asked Pike. "Don't you think parents might have an issue with you teaching their kids after that stunt?"

"Look, it's going to be difficult," said Jessica. "I have no illusions otherwise. But the principal and school board decided to give me a chance, and I intend to take it."

"Okay, I'll give you that," said Pike. "But why don't you get your own place? As you said, Dan left _me_ the house after the divorce was finalized. You could have at least asked."

Jessica sighed, helping herself to a piece of bacon. "I can't afford my own home yet, and nobody would rent to me. The principal is willing to give me a second chance, but not everyone in Gravity Falls is too eager to have me back." She smiled coyly. "I honestly hoped to live here for a while without you knowing. Until I could scrape up a down payment for a house of my own."

"Well—" Pike was interrupted by the trill of his phone. He looked at the screen. "It's Mabel… why's she calling me this early… or at all?"

"Hey Mabel," he said, answering the call. "It's awful early to—what? …No wait, slow down… You can't… What?! Is she okay?... Oh shit, the decision… No, he's not here… Have you asked Gid or that little werewolf chick if they know?... Okay… No, it's alright, I was up… Okay be there soon… Bye."

Jessica cocked an eyebrow. "What on earth was that about?"

Pike took a deep breath, and downed the last of his orange juice in one gulp, like it was a shot of liquor. Banging the glass back on the table, he looked into Jessica's waiting eyes.

"Apparently our daughter is back."

/

Fifteen minutes later, having convinced Jessica that it would be too stressful for Wendy to see her right away, Pike arrived at the Pines house. When he knocked on the door, Mabel let him in. Wendy and Aurora were sitting at opposite ends of the living room, having come to a truce of sorts to just not talk to each other unless necessary.

Upon seeing Pike, Wendy jumped up and raced across the room to him.

"Uncle Ollie!" she cried, as he enveloped her in a bear hug that would have done Manly Dan proud.

Wendy buried her face in his shoulder and broke down, her hot tears soaking into the green flannel of his shirt. Pike held her and rocked back and forth. He held his face against her head, taking in the scent of the shampoo she'd washed her hair with three years ago.

When Wendy had finally cried herself out, he loosened his hold on her, and held her at arm's length. "Wendy, what the hell happened to you?" he asked gently. "Where have you been?"

She told him the same thing she'd told the others the night before—she had not _gone_ anywhere. She simply opened her eyes and three years had passed.

"And when Dipper saw me, he panicked and ran," finished Wendy. "I didn't even realize it was him at first…he was on the bed with _her_ ," she said, indicating in the direction of Aurora.

There was a knock at the door and Mabel crossed the room to open it.

"Heavens to Betsey, Mabel, you _were_ tellin' the truth!" cried Gideon, upon seeing Wendy. He was accompanied by a sandy-haired girl with a wild look in her eye.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Wendy asked Mabel suspiciously.

Mabel opened her mouth to speak, but Gideon cut her off. "Oh, no one told you yet, darlin'? I'm one of the good guys. Dip and I have been besties since I got back from reform school. So that's what, two years ago now? Oh, and this pretty little thing is Lexie," he added as an afterthought. "She's a werewolf."

"Oh," said Wendy.

"Now what's all this about Dipper runnin' off?" asked Gideon. "I thought you could, like, GPS him with your mind, Aurora."

"That's right," said Pike. "Can't you reach him with your bond?"

Wendy crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, waiting to hear Aurora's answer.

"Before you left with him for Seattle, I cut off our bond… to give him privacy while he made a certain decision." Aurora glanced up at Wendy, loathing in her eyes. "I have tried to reestablish it after he ran off, but I have been unable to so far. I think the intensity of his feelings, his anger and confusion, are causing some kind of interference."

"Did you ever think maybe Dipper is causing the interference on purpose?" asked Wendy. "Maybe he's decided he doesn't like having someone poking around his brain all the time."

"He's never had a problem with it before," hissed Aurora.

"Well," said Pike loudly, trying to avoid a catfight breaking out, "have you checked any of Dipper's regular haunts yet? The treehouse and such?"

"I looked at the treehouse," said Mabel. "He's not there, or at the stone table. Wendy went to check out the bunker and didn't find him there. Aurora looked at the arcade and the park. I called Soos, and he's not at the Mystery Shack. His phone is either off or dead…" Her lip quivered. "I'm really worried about him."

"I can go talk to my grandfather and see if any of the wolves have seen him," piped up Lexie.

"Aaaactually, I think I know where he is," said Gideon cautiously. All eyes turned to him. "I know of a place Dipper goes when… he's not at his best."

"Where?" asked Mabel hopefully.

"Uh, well, that's the thing… Dip made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone," said Gideon, beginning to blush. "He'd probably be right pissed knowing that I've told y'all this much."

"I don't know of any such place. And I know everything about Dipper," said Aurora haughtily.

"Yeeeeah," said Gideon, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling uncomfortably. "Look, I'm gonna take off now; go see if he is where I think he is." He turned to leave.

"Wait," said Pike. "I'll come with you. He made you swear not to tell, but he didn't say anything about showing, right?"

"Trust me, it's better if I go by myself," assured Gideon. "Mabel, I'll send you a text when I've found him." Gideon waggled his fingers at the group and trotted out the door.

"That's not the only text I'll be waiting for," said Mabel softly, thinking of Pacifica.

/

Deep in the forest, Dipper screamed wildly. Angry tears streamed down his cheeks, as his knuckles left bloody smears on Bill Cipher's stone face. He pummeled it with a ferociousness few knew he was capable of. The statue's unblinking eye seemed to taunt him.

"WHY?!" he shrieked, his throat raw. "Why does this shit always happen? Every time—EVERY FUCKING TIME—I think I have a chance for true happiness, it's ripped away from me. Why?! What did I do to deserve this? Did you curse me before we defeated you? This is ALL YOUR FAULT! I HATE YOU!" With a particularly vicious uppercut, Cipher's hat cracked into pieces.

Trembling, Dipper sank to the ground, resting his head on his knees, which he hugged to his chest. His hands were a bloody, pulpy mess, but preferred it that way—he'd rather focus on the pain in his hands than the unbearable tension building up in his chest.

"I never gave up on you, Wendy," he whispered, his voice shaking. "Everyone wanted me to. Aurora wanted me to. She said I needed to move on. But I knew our story wasn't over. I _knew_."

He sniffed, and wiped at his tears, leaving a bloody streak across his face.

"But Aurora loves me. We have a bond. She's kept me sane this whole time. She always knew what I needed, when I needed it. Sometimes…a little too conveniently. I love her—but do I really? Has her bond, her constant presence in my mind, brainwashed me? I felt so lonely when she cut it off before I left for Seattle… has the constant connection of our minds made me dependent on her? But—no, no she wouldn't do that… she's not manipulative like that. Except… she did force me to choose between her and Wendy…"

He banged his forehead against his knees, enjoying the thud, and the dull pain it caused behind his eyes. Physical pain was always preferable to mental anguish.

"Dammit! Wendy, why did you go? Where did you go? You were my best friend. You loved me, in spite of all my flaws… and I loved you so much. I wanted more, but I was scared… now I regret… Could we even go back to what we had before, now that Aurora has complicated things? I've missed you so much, Wendy. It was always you, always. _Always_."

Dipper finally let the sobs he'd been suppressing overtake him, and he rocked back and forth, wailing like a wounded animal.

"Oh, honey," Gideon said softly as he came upon the sobbing, bloody mess that was Dipper Pines. He'd been right. Dipper had come to his "dark place," as he called it. He'd never seen Dipper this bad off, however. Usually he had a couple scraped up knuckles that could be healed over with a simple incantation. Gideon wasn't sure if he was capable of fixing this.

Gideon sat lightly in the grass next to Dipper, waiting for the older teen to acknowledge him. He knew Dipper knew he was there, but wanted Dipper to be the first to speak.

Finally, Dipper let out a long shuddering sigh, and looked up, his bloodshot eyes meeting Gideon's sympathetic ones. "Hey Gid," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Hey Dip."

"I figured you'd be the one to come after me," Dipper rasped. "You didn't tell—"

Gideon raised his hands, palms up. "I swear I didn't tell them about your dark place. I just told them I knew where you'd be. That reminds me." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and typed out a quick text.

"What're you doing?" asked Dipper, leaning over to look at Gideon's phone.

"I promised your sister I'd text her when I found you," said Gideon, showing Dipper his phone's screen. "I just said 'Found him, he's safe. TTYL' and then a smiley emoji."

"Okay," said Dipper dully. His hands and head were aching, but a numb feeling had finally started to settle into his chest.

"Give me your hands," said Gideon, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Dipper held his hands out. The familiarity of the healing ritual was comforting. Gideon gingerly took Dipper's hands. Dipper hissed and winced.

"Oh, sweetie, I think you actually broke some bones this time," Gideon said, examining Dipper's hands closely. "I'm not sure if my incantation will be enough to fix this. You really did a number on yourself, hon."

"You should see the other guy," Dipper said through gritted teeth, as Gideon continued to take in his many injuries.

"Why, Dipper Pines, was that a joke I just heard?"

Dipper grunted noncommittally.

"Okay, Dip, I'm gonna try my best to heal this, but you should still probably let Pike take a look when you get home," said Gideon. He held his hands palm down over Dipper's mangled appendages, and began whispering a complicated incantation. A pale, rose-colored light formed around their hands, pulsating, absorbing a dark, nearly black energy wafting from Dipper's injuries. The ritual took about five minutes to complete, and by the end Gideon was paler than usual, and sweating.

Dipper looked at his hands. Shiny, new pink skin had formed over the cuts and scrapes. They still felt tender. He made fists, and inhaled sharply. Yeah, something was broken in his right hand.

"Sorry Dipper," said Gideon. "I just don't have a powerful enough healing spell to fix you up completely.

"It's okay, buddy," said Dipper, smiling wanly. "It's not your fault I'm a violent idiot."

The two sat in companionable silence for a while, their backs turned on earthly remnants of Bill Cipher. Dipper's eyes started to close lazily—he had not slept at all the night before. He jerked them open suddenly when he heard dozens of small voices roaring savagely.

Both Gideon and Dipper shot to attention, as a horde of gnomes raced through the clearing. They didn't look normal. They were bulky, muscular. One of the group broke off upon noticing the two humans, and ran full tilt at them. He was covered in black veins that appeared to shift and move under his skin, and his open, screaming mouth revealed sharp, pointed teeth. His eyes were pure black.

"For the Queen!" screeched the gnome, spittle flying from his lips.

"Nope." said Dipper. Summoning energy from the rift, he directed it to his right leg and foot. As soon as the rabid gnome was within range, Dipper kicked him in the stomach. A silver wave of light rippled out from the point of impact, and the gnome shrieked as he flew over the trees, and off into the distance.

The rest of the horde had passed through the clearing by this time, so imminent threat dealt with, Dipper sat back down in the grass and yawned. Gideon still stood, staring slack-jawed at his friend.

"Uh, did I know you could do that?" asked Gideon.

Dipper shrugged. "Never tried it before. It _was_ fairly effective."

"I'll say," said Gideon. "I hope he had his passport on him, because I think you kicked him all the way to Canada."

The corner of Dipper's mouth twitched slightly upward, but that was all the mirth he could muster.

"So, I think maybe we should get back to town… because the horde of scary hulked-out gnomes was running in that direction," said Gideon. "The good townsfolk of Gravity Falls might appreciate our assistance in this matter."

"Nah, I'm good," said Dipper.

"Come again?"

"I said I'm good," repeated Dipper. "You go save the day. Have fun. Blow things up with magic. I'm not going."

Gideon was incredulous at the change in his normally heroic friend's attitude. "But… but you always fight the bad guy. You're one of those do-gooders that everyone else aspires to be like! Why won't you come help?"

"I just don't want to," said Dipper, his face void of emotion. "Let someone else deal with the baddies."

"But what about Mabel and W—"

"I'M NOT GOING," shouted Dipper, causing Gideon to jump. "Pike's there. He'll save the day. He's good at that sort of thing. Just… just go."

"Fine," said Gideon. He cast one last disappointed look at Dipper, and trotted off in the direction of town.

Dipper grunted and flopped down on the grass, staring at the sky. If the universe wanted to screw with him, so be it.

/

Mabel was checking her phone for a text from Pacifica for the fiftieth time that morning, when it rang, scaring her so much she dropped it. Scrambling to pick it up, she saw Gideon's picture flashing across the screen. She sighed, disappointed.

"Hey Gid, I got your text. Is Dipper with you?... What about gnomes?... Yeah, Pike's still here. Hold on." Mabel crinkled up her nose as she handed the phone off to Pike. "He sounds weird, like he's running or something."

"Go," said Pike, holding Mabel's phone to his ear. He furrowed his brow. "The gnomes are _stampeding_?... Oh, they have a queen again? How nice for them…. Oh, I guess that is bad for us…. Black eyes? Yeesh…. Dipper did _what_?... No, I didn't know he could do that…. He's not? Why not?... Well that's disappointing…. Where does it look like they're heading?... Okay, I'll meet you there. Right. Bye."

Pike looked up to see Wendy, Aurora, Mabel and Lexie all staring at him intently. "Yes, he's safe. No, he's not on his way back with Gideon. Something came up, and Gideon had to rush back to town."

"Something about gnomes?" asked Lexie, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Apparently the gnomes have found themselves a queen. Also they've turned evil and are rampaging through the forest toward downtown as we speak," said Pike.

"Fucking gnomes," muttered Lexie. "Hate 'em."

"Well, that's good then," said Pike with a grin, "because you're coming with me to help Gid kick some tiny ass. And Mabel, do you remember where the gnome's hollow is? Since Dipper is out of commission, I need you, Wendy and Aurora to go track down this new queen of theirs. It sounds like she's the one behind this attack on the town. While we try and take out the horde, you incapacitate the queen. Remember, they take a human queen, so try not to kill her, m'kay?"

"Yeah, I think I can get us there," said Mabel. "As long as these two don't kill each other on the way."

"We will behave," said Aurora primly.

"No guarantees," said Wendy, glancing sideways at her adversary.

Pike laughed and slapped Wendy on the back. "That's my girl! Okay, Lex, you ready? Let's head out."

As Mabel, Wendy and Aurora disappeared into the woods in search of the gnome queen, Pike and Lexie clambered into Pike's Jeep and sped off toward downtown

"What's that fancy chest in the backseat?" asked Lexie loudly over the noise of the wind blowing through the open windows, her hair whipping around wildly.

Pike glanced at the chest in the rearview mirror. He could feel the power within it calling to him. He gripped the steering wheel harder, and willed himself to ignore it.

"Let's just say it's a failsafe—something I don't want to have to use. Ever." he said, clenching his jaw. _Even though it feels like it wants to use me_.

"Huh. Okay," said Lexie, turning her head back to look out the window.

As Pike turned the corner onto Main Street, he saw Gideon already battling the gnomes.

"Holy crap, he wasn't joking," said Pike, as he braked to a stop. "They _are_ hulked out."

Lexie and Pike hopped out of the Jeep, and raced across the street to where Gideon was surrounded by over a dozen gnomes. A light pink aura surrounded him, a threshold the rabid gnomes couldn't cross. Every time they tried to pass through it, they recoiled, screeching; their skin was burnt red wherever it had touched the magical barrier.

"Oh hey," Gideon called casually from inside his bubble. "'Bout time y'all showed up! This was becoming rather tedious!"

As the gnomes turned around to see who Gideon was talking to, Pike nodded to him. Gideon winked, and thrust his hands outward from his sides, transforming the pink aura into a tidal wave of energy that rushed away from him in all directions, throwing the gnomes onto their backs.

"Nice work," said Pike, wading through the piles of stunned gnomes.

"Thanks," said Gideon cheerfully. "Been savin' that one for a special occasion."

Lexie trotted up behind Pike, gleefully kicking at the gnomes clutching at her feet. She had only transformed slightly. Her teeth were sharper, her eyes glowing yellow. Her hands were still normal, except that her fingernails had been replaced with long, razor sharp claws.

"Aw, not gonna go full wolfy for us today, hon?" asked Gideon.

Lexie shrugged and rasped out "I didn't bring a change of clothes."

Around them, the gnomes were rising to their feet. A lone voice rose up out of the horde. "The queen demands a tribute!"

The shout seemed to rouse the gnomes out of their magical stupor, and a rallying cry went up. "FOR THE QUEEN! FOR THE QUEEN!"

Pike, Gideon and Lexie all stood back to back, as the gnomes began to swarm them.

Lexie grinned wickedly around her fangs. "Bring it on you stupid lawn ornaments."

/

Mabel, Aurora, and Wendy trudged through the forest in an uncomfortable silence. Mabel led, Aurora keeping pace with her. Aurora kept getting prickles on the back of her neck, feeling the force of Wendy's animosity toward her as the redhead walked behind her. Every once in a while, Mabel would start humming, or just chattering to herself.

"Okay, we're just outside the gnome's grove," she said, coming to a halt. She turned around to face Aurora and Wendy. "We probably should have some kind of plan, shouldn't we?"

Aurora said "Yes."

At the same time, Wendy said "We've never needed one before."

"So… I'm getting a real strong 'maybe' on a plan then?" asked Mabel.

"This is stupid," said Wendy, pushing past Aurora. "They're just gnomes."

"ATTACK!" came a scream from the trees above, and suddenly several brutish gnomes dropped down upon them. One grabbed Wendy's arm, pulling her down to the ground with him, where he began attempting to bind her wrists while she was still stunned.

Another gnome landed directly on Mabel's shoulders, riding on them like a demented child, as she ran around screaming "This is not okay! This is _not_ okay!"

Aurora was being attacked by three at once, but the beastly gnomes were no match for the pissed off, heartbroken dragoness. As she let out a feral scream, silver flames raged forth from her mouth, causing the gnomes to leap back in panic, patting out their smoldering beards.

Wendy used the distraction caused by Aurora's fire-breathing to knock aside the gnome trying to bind her wrists. She shook the loose ropes off, jogging to aid Mabel, who was still running in circles, screaming, while the gnome on her shoulders gleefully cried "SCHMEBULOCK!"

"Mabel, this way!" shouted Wendy. As her friend ran toward her, Wendy stuck out her arm, just above Mabel's head. "Clothesline! BOOSH!" Wendy crowed triumphantly, as the gnome toppled to the ground, screeching.

"ENOUGH." A familiar voice boomed through the clearing.

Everyone stopped and stared, the gnomes genuflecting, as a figure walked out from the shadow of an enormous oak tree, studded with inky black crystals.

"Oh God… Paz," breathed Mabel.

The petite blonde wore red robes that seemed to float around her feet. Her sun-kissed skin was lined with black veins that seemed to wriggle like worms under her epidermis. A jagged crown formed of the same, tainted crystals from the tree rested atop her head. She slowly walked forward through the clearing until she was only feet from Mabel, Wendy and Aurora.

"I see that they sent the B team," Pacifica said. She looked up at them with black, soulless eyes, and smirked. "It figures. Dipper's got bigger problems to deal with right now. It must be a real dilemma, having to choose between a slutty dragon and a slutty lumberjane."

Wendy stepped forward, reaching for the small throwing axe that was hooked onto her belt. A cold hand gripped her arm to stop her—Mabel squeezed her arm. "Please, don't," she said quietly.

"And then we have Mabel," continued Pacifica, seemingly oblivious to the interaction between her friends. "Naïve, vapid, romantically challenged Mabel. Always wearing your stupid handmade sweaters, even when it's ninety degrees out. You think your silly antics are endearing; that people can't help but love you for them. Newsflash—you're seventeen. It's not cute anymore. It's annoying. You're obnoxious, and nobody can stand you."

Mabel's hand dropped from Wendy's arm, and she looked down at her feet. "I know you don't really mean that, Paz," she said softly. "Something's corrupted you. This isn't you."

Pacifica sauntered forward, placing a finger underneath Mabel's chin, and tipping her head back up. Mabel could see glimmers of red in the depths of Pacifica's completely black eyes. Pacifica laughed, as she noticed both Aurora and Wendy tense up on either side of Mabel, as if preparing to attack.

"Maybe," Pacifica drawled, "I'm not corrupted. Maybe I'm just finally able to tell the truth."

A tear slid down Mabel's cheek. "I refuse to believe that."

"Well I guess I'll just have to convince you," sneered Pacifica. "Gnomes! Att—"

"I love you Paz!" cried Mabel, cutting the gnome queen off. Mabel grabbed her friend, and kissed her fiercely.

Wendy stared, mouth agape. Aurora nodded sagely. She knew. Of course she knew.

Before Pacifica could gather herself enough to react, Mabel reached up and yanked the jagged crown off her friend's head, throwing it at the enormous oak. It hit a prominent crystal at the base of the tree, and both the crown and crystal shattered, sending a billow of black smoke into the air. The rest of the crystals in the tree flickered, and then returned to their normal, silvery glow.

Around the clearing, the gnomes collapsed. Pacifica's eyes rolled back in her head, and she suddenly became dead weight in Mabel's arms. The black veins faded away to nothing.

Mabel struggled to hold her friend up. "Uh, a little help, please?"

Wendy strode forward, and felt Pacifica's neck for a pulse. Satisfied, she knelt, and Mabel situated Pacifica over her shoulder. Rising, the petite blonde slung like a sack of potatoes over her shoulder, Wendy started back in the direction of Gravity Falls.

"Should we not ask the gnomes if they are aware of what caused this corruption?" asked Aurora, not moving from the clearing.

Wendy turned and rolled her eyes at her rival. "That might work better once they're a little less passed out."

"Yeah, c'mon 'Rora," said Mabel. "We need to go make sure the others are okay."

"Fine," muttered Aurora, joining the other two as they slowly worked their way through the woods and back to the Pines' home.

/

Pike, Lexie and Gideon sat in the living room, nursing minor injuries, when Mabel, Aurora, and Wendy arrived back with the still unconscious Pacifica.

Pike raised an eyebrow at Wendy. "What's with blondie?"

"We found the gnome queen," replied Wendy, "who, incidentally, is kind of heavy. Mabel, can I put her in your room?"

Mabel, blushing, nodded the affirmative, and followed Wendy into her bedroom, where she stayed after Wendy deposited Pacifica on the bed and left.

"Is little ol' Mabel okay?" asked Gideon. "She looked kinda upset or something."

"Well, naturally she's worried about her lov—"

Wendy gave Aurora a scathing look and cut her off. "About her best friend."

Gideon nodded. "Gotcha."

"So how'd your gnome tussle go?" asked Wendy, wanting to change the subject out of respect for Mabel's privacy.

Lexie grinned. "Brilliantly. You shoulda seen Gid take 'em out with his pretty pink magic. A thing of beauty, it was."

"Aw shucks, darlin', there you go makin' me blush," said Gideon, grinning.

"Don't give Gideon all the credit, Lex," said Pike. "You were pretty badass yourself. Trust me—I am a connoisseur of badassery."

Lexie sighed. "I would have been even badasser-er if you didn't throw that 'incapacitate only' rule at me."

"Hey, I'm okay with killing creatures that are actually evil," Pike defended himself. "But it was obvious the gnomes were not in control of themselves. And I was right, too—when they all collapsed, they went back to looking normal. What caused that, anyway?" he asked Wendy and Aurora.

"Their sacred tree is studded with crystals, and something had warped them," explained Aurora. "They made Pacifica wear a crown of the warped crystals—it warped her too. She was… unpleasant to us. But then Mabel k—"

Wendy coughed loudly. "Mabel got close enough to Pacifica to steal the crown and destroy it. Then she and all the gnomes just collapsed."

"I guess I'll have to go talk to Geoff in the next couple days before school starts, and see if he knows what caused the corruption," Dipper said from behind them. He had entered the house through the back door, and listened to the tail end of their conversation before speaking.

"Dipper!" cried Wendy and Aurora almost simultaneously.

He kept his eyes trained on the floor, not looking at either girl. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go to bed." He turned, and began to climb the staircase.

"I'm really tired too—I'll come with you," said Aurora, starting to follow him up the stairs.

Dipper stopped, mid-stride. "No, I'd rather you not," he said without turning around, his voice void of emotion. "You should probably sleep on the couch."

Aurora looked crestfallen. She slowly walked back to the sofa and sat down.

"Wait, Dip," said Wendy, eagerly. "I really need to talk to you. Can I—"

"Not right now, Wendy," said Dipper, his voice beginning to shake. "I—I can't—you should go stay with Pike." Without waiting for a reply, he trotted the rest of the way up the stairs. The group heard his door open and close.

"Well," said Pike, breaking the silence. "That was…hmm." He tapped his hands on his knees. "Wendy, we better get home. Your mom will be worried."

"Wait, _my mom_?!" cried Wendy.

"Ah, shit. Yeah, I forgot to tell you about that," said Pike. "C'mon, I'll tell you all about it on the way."

Pike and Wendy walked out the front door, leaving Gideon, Lexie, and Aurora sitting awkwardly together in the living room.

Lexie looked at Gideon. "Should we—"

"Yes, let's go," he said in a rush as he stood up. "Uh… bye Aurora."

"Bye…" said Aurora quietly as she watched them leave. To the empty room, she whispered "Everything is different now."

/

Stayed Tuned Next Time For Chapter 17: Night Of The Living Rerun.

/

So just wanna apologize for the taking a little longer than normal to post. Between work, familial obligations and my brain not wanting to work I might have to start posting once every two weeks. That being said I wouldn't have anything to post now without the insanely talented **Geekngroom**. Seriously she is an absolute wizard with a keyboard. If you haven't already you need to check out her fic **Gravity Falls: Worlds Apart**. It is amazing. Period.

SHOUTOUTS! **Really Bored Guy, NyaNyaKittyFace, thereader16, fereality, LimboticMistisos, GeeknGroom, NecroticHate, moshi182, scroghmc, MorgothII, The Cowardly Christian 'du911.** Thanks for sticking along for the ride and taking the time to leave such awesome reviews. If anyone ever has questions/comments/concerns/suggestions feel free to PM me. I live for it.

/

Peace


	17. Night Of The Living Rerun

Chapter Seventeen

Night Of The Living Rerun

The stars were beginning to fade as the light of dawn kissed the horizon. Red streaks slowly crept across the inky blackness, signaling the approaching sun. Dipper Pines stood staring from his bedroom window watching the sunrise. He had been awake quite some time—sleep had been a fleeting thing since he had returned from Seattle. He had spent nearly every waking moment trying to distance himself from the harsh light of reality. It was the nights that had become the problem, he couldn't hide from his dreams. Truth be told, they weren't much different than what his life had become while he was awake, he mused darkly. Wendy and Aurora were there constantly fighting, crying, or worse.

 _I don't know how much more of this I can take…but I have no idea what the hell I need to do to fix this mess._ He heard the faint sound of the doorbell. _Well, time for me to go._ He slid the window open and climbed out onto the roof. Within seconds he was on the ground and making his way to school, thankful that he had avoided another round of fighting between the girls, but dreading the fact that he would have nowhere to run while he was in class.

/

The sun is just beginning to set, painting the world blood red. On a hilltop overlooking the city, a young man sits straddling a motorcycle staring into the setting sun. The sound of gravel crunching signals the approach of another, but he doesn't have to turn around. He knows it's her.

"I talked to your mom today," he says quietly. "Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?"

The silence in the air is deafening. He can feel the weight of her gaze on his back as he stares at the vista before him.

He sighs. "I'm gonna take that as a no, then…"

"Pike, I-I just want a normal life."

"Uh-huh." He crosses his arms. He still hasn't turned to look at her.

"Please," she says, her voice thick with emotion, "can we talk about this?"

"Why?" he asks, bitterness creeping into his voice. "You're going…obviously I'm not. What's there to talk about?"

"Fine," she says with a sigh. She hesitates, and then continues. "Will you promise me one thing at least? Promise me you'll move on…that you won't let this become your life."

He can't promise any such thing, and she knows it. "You should go home," he says. "Don't want your mom getting worried. You probably still have some packing to do."

"Pike, please." She puts a hand on his shoulder, and he finally turns around to look at her. Her blue eyes are brimming over with tears she's trying to keep from falling. She pulls her hand back, and hugs herself. She's wearing his black leather jacket, her blond hair falling softly over the epaulets on the shoulders.

"You should keep the jacket," he says, with a sad smile. "It looks good on you."

She stares at him, still hugging herself, as a single tear slides down her cheek.

"Fuck," Pike mutters, running his hands through his hair. "Look, if things don't go as planned, or if you ever need me, call me ok? I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Don't do this…" she whispers.

He kisses her swiftly on the cheek. "Goodbye Princess. I'll always love you. I just hope I get to see you again someday."

A sharp bang against the door startled Pike from his restless sleep, his hands gripping a knife beneath the pillow.

"Oliver, are you awake? We need to talk."

"Fuck, Jess," groaned Pike. "It's like six a.m. What is so fucking important that it can't wait until a decent hour."

There was a pause. Then simply, "Wendy."

"Fine," sighed Pike. "Come in."

As Jessica let herself in, Pike sat up in bed. When she saw that his torso and back were covered in a webbing of severe scars, she gasped.

"Toss me that t-shirt, would you?" said Pike, indicating to a shirt laying across the back of his desk chair.

"Ollie, what on earth happened to you?" asked Jessica, her eyes wide.

He snapped his fingers twice. "Shirt. Now."

She grabbed the shirt and tossed it to him, then crossed her arms. "There's your shirt. Now will you tell me what the hell happened to you to cause all those injuries?"

Pike looked at her blankly. "No. You said you wanted to discuss something about Wendy. Discuss."

Jessica frowned. "Fine. I think we should consider how to handle telling Wendy about you."

Pike arched an eyebrow. "What about me? Is there something I should know?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I mean, Oliver. About who you are."

"I'm her uncle. She knows that."

"No you're not, Ollie, and you well know it." Jessica sat in Pike's desk chair, and crossed her legs.

"She does not know that," said Pike flippantly.

"Oliver…" Jess's tone was becoming dangerous.

Pike sighed. "What do you _want_ from me, Jess?"

"I want us to tell her the truth."

"But _why_? What purpose would that serve?"

"Wouldn't you want to know if your whole life was a lie?" asked Jessica.

"No."

"You. Are. Impossible."

"Well, then you shouldn't have had a kid with me, huh?"

Jessica stood, her face flushed. "Ollie, that was below the belt."

"So were you."

Jessica stared blankly at Pike for a moment, then crossed the room in two steps and smacked him soundly across the face. She was blinking back tears.

"You know I regret what I did to you, Ollie," she said, her voice quavering. "But I don't regret what happened as a result. I had a beautiful daughter, who is smart and resourceful, and who has a stubborn streak a mile wide—just like her dad. She is hurting right now, and could really use the support of both her parents."

"Look, Jess," said Pike, finally taking the conversation seriously. "You know I love Wendy. She's like I was when I was younger, and I was awesome. And I'll be there for her as much as I can—but really, now is not the right time to tell her I'm her dad."

"Why?" asked Jessica. "What are you waiting for?"

"I just don't want to shock her with the news that I'm actually her dad, and her dad's actually her uncle, right when she's just shown back up from being somehow pulled out of time for three years—especially now that she, Dipper and Aurora have their little love triangle to figure out." Pike paused. "I think her life is complicated enough right about now."

"That's not all, though, is it?" asked Jessica. She sat back down in Pike's desk chair, tapping her foot on the floor. "You're wearing your 'uh-oh' face."

Pike cocked his head to the side. "My what now?"

"Your 'uh-oh' face," repeated Jessica. "It's the face you always used to make when you were little, and you had screwed up, but were trying to act all cool, like nothing was wrong."

Pike frowned. "I do not have an 'uh-oh' face."

Jessica smiled. "Yes, you do. I think sometimes you forget how well I know you, Ollie. Before I screwed everything up. We were best friends, remember?"

"Honestly, I don't remember a lot from when we were younger," said Pike. "I think when you tried to wipe my memory of what you did to me, you done fucked up and erased more than you meant to."

"Well, I guess that's what I get for trying to be nostalgic with an asshole," said Jessica, as she stood to leave. "Look, I know you don't want to tell Wendy for some reason other than the ones you gave me. But please, just give it some thought, okay? I have to go get ready for school, but we'll talk about this later."

As Jessica left the room, Pike glanced at his face in the mirror.

"I do not have a fucking 'uh-oh' face."

/

Dipper arrived at Gravity Falls High School just as a janitor was unlocking the front doors. Most of the faculty hadn't even arrived yet. He didn't want to wait inside the school, sitting awkwardly at a desk in his first period classroom, so he decided to sit under the large oak tree in front of the school. He and Gideon sometimes hung out there if they got to school early. He hoped Gid would get there sooner than Mabel, Aurora, and Wendy. He leaned back against the solid tree and put in his earbuds, turning on an EDM playlist he'd made for just this purpose—strong, steady, pulsing beats to chase away his thoughts. He closed his eyes, and tried to empty his mind.

A soft kick to his foot brought Dipper back to reality. He jumped, and pulled out his earbuds, opening his eyes to see Lexie standing over him, grinning wolfishly. Gideon was standing just behind her, a look of concern on his face.

"Careful, Dipper," said Lexie playfully. "You don't want to be caught unawares by your fan club, do you?"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Perish the thought."

Gideon leaned over to offer Dipper a hand up. "Now, I really hope I'm just being paranoid, but you didn't actually _sleep_ out here last night, did you Dip?" he asked.

Dipper laughed weakly as he got to his feet. "No, but that's an idea."

Gideon scowled. "Are they still being _that_ awful?"

Dipper ran his hands through his messy brown hair. "You guys have no freaking idea. It is _constant_ and _relentless_ whenever they're around me. And they're _always_ around me. The only time Wendy leaves is when Pike makes her go home to sleep. And then Aurora takes that as an opportunity to either try and seduce me, or talk trash about Wendy."

"Oh sweetie, that's rough," said Gideon, placing a hand on Dipper's shoulder. "Have you given any more thought to who you're going to choose? I mean, this is just going to get worse, the longer it drags on."

Dipper sighed. "It isn't like I can just put their names in a hat and pick one at random. They both mean so much to me… picking one will devastate the other, and I don't want to do that to either of them."

"Why, though?" asked Lexie. She was utterly baffled.

"Why what?" asked Dipper.

"Why do you _have_ to choose either of them? I get that you have feelings for both of them, but seriously—they're killing you, dude. Why not just tell them both to GTFO? Problem solved."

"Sweet, sweet, Lexie," said Gideon, patting her cheek. "So naïve. Telling them to 'GTFO' as you put it, would just complicate things even more. For one, Aurora _lives_ with Dipper."

Lexie shrugged. "Well, then why doesn't he just take them both? He's totally alpha enough. I think he could make it work."

Dipper opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short, the color draining from his face.

"They're here, aren't they?" said Gideon, without turning around to look. Dipper nodded.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get you inside before they see you," said Gideon, linking his arm through Dipper's. Lexie grinned, and linked his other arm in hers.

"I got your back, Jack," she said. "Bitches be crazy."

/

Mabel was groggily washing her face when the doorbell rang. She sighed, and tossed her washcloth into the sink, trudging to the door.

"Hey Wendy," she said, as she opened it. She stood aside, and the redhead entered, backpack slung over her shoulders. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I was hoping to talk to Dipper before we all walked to school," said Wendy, peering into the kitchen. "Is he not up yet?"

"I dunno," shrugged Mabel. "I've been down here getting ready. Maybe you should knock on his door and make sure he didn't accidently turn his alarm off. He's gotten used to sleeping in this summer."

"Good idea," said Wendy. She dropped her book bag at the foot of the staircase, and took the steps two at a time, eager to talk to Dipper alone. As she put her hand on the doorknob to his bedroom, she heard a soft scoff behind her. She turned around to face Aurora, who was already dressed and ready for school, a piece of toast in her hand.

"You weren't even going to knock, were you?" she asked, scowling. "You know, since you're not _with_ him anymore, he'd probably appreciate a little privacy."

"Okay, one," said Wendy, narrowing her eyes, "he never actually broke up with me. Two, you were never officially _with_ him at all."

Aurora took a bite of toast, and chewed it slowly before responding. "Oh, my bad. I guess he's just been cheating on you for the past year, then." She smirked. "And it doesn't matter that what I've had with Dipper wasn't ever 'official.' The point is, _I_ was literally _with him_."

Wendy balled her hands into fists. She was too angry to think of any intelligible sort of comeback. She turned back to Dipper's door, twisted the knob, and pushed it open. She was greeted by an empty room. The window was wide open, curtains fluttering in the early morning breeze. Her heart sank.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention," said Aurora, clearly taking pleasure at Wendy's disappointment. "He's not even here. I came to his room to talk to him a half hour ago, and he was already gone. I think he's avoiding you."

"'Rora, he's avoiding both of you," came Mabel's voice from the stairs. "We need to hurry up and go so we're not late to school."

Aurora sighed and started down the stairs, Wendy on her heels.

"Is Paz going to walk with us?" asked Wendy.

"No," said Mabel, slinging her backpack over her shoulders. "She's got a car. I keep forgetting how much you've missed, Wen. I guess I we—" Mabel paused at the scowl on Aurora's face. "I can fill you in on some of what you missed while we walk to school."

They left the house, Mabel locking the door behind them.

"Well, for starters… where the hell are your Grunkles?" Wendy asked, then gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh gods, they aren't—"

"They're fine, Wen," said Mabel soothingly. "They still spend most of the year sailing, with occasional stops for Stan to gamble in Vegas. They visit once or twice a year, but somehow managed to convince our parents that Dipper and I are fine without constant adult supervision. They pay the bills online, and they and our parents both contribute to a checking account that Dip and I share, so we always have money for food and clothes and other necessities."

"Huh," said Wendy. "They really trust you guys that much?"

Aurora chuckled. Wendy jumped, having forgotten she was there.

"Actually," said Mabel, "We found out last year that they've been paying Soos and Melody to keep an eye on us. Dipper found a couple nanny cams hidden around the house—not in bedrooms, or anywhere creepy like that, but still… he was so pissed. After he confronted them, Soos and Melody agreed to just keep tabs on us by stopping by once in a while."

"Okay…" said Wendy. "So how are Soos and Melody?"

"Oh, they're great!" gushed Mabel. "You should see Melody—she's so cute now that she's finally showing."

"What?!"

"Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself," said Mabel, grinning. "They got married about a year and a half ago. Melody is…six months pregnant, I think?"

"Huh. Okay, so what about my gang? They're probably all in college now, right?"

"Something like that," replied Mabel, looking straight ahead.

"What about those two girls you used to hang out with all the time before you became friends with Pacifica?" asked Wendy.

"Oh, well, Candy graduated early, and is already in her sophomore year at college," said Mabel. "And Grenda moved to Europe, to be with Marius. He paid her and her parents' way, and everything. They have their own wing in his family's palace."

"Fancy," muttered Wendy. They had arrived at the school. Pulling out her schedule, she groaned. "I have calculus first period. Why does the universe hate me?"

"Probably because you just make it so easy," muttered Aurora under her breath.

Mabel looked at her schedule, frowning. "Uh, Wendy… your mom is teaching?"

"Oh, yeah," said Wendy. "I forgot to mention it…what with everything that's been going on. English."

"Oh. Huh. Well, I have her first period," said Mabel. "This should be an interesting year."

As the first bell rang, the girls went their separate ways.

/

When the bell rang signaling lunchtime, Dipper shoved his notebook into his backpack and rushed for the door. He kept his head down as he was knocked about by other students heading to the cafeteria.

"Dipper!" Aurora called from a ways behind him. He pretended not to hear.

He had just made it into the lunchroom, when he felt a warm hand slip into his. Startled, he looked up, directly into Wendy's deep green eyes. His stomach twisted itself into knots, and he quickly pulled his hand away.

Wendy's smile faltered. "Sorry," she murmured.

"It's okay," muttered Dipper, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He rummaged in his backpack, pulling out a brown paper bag.

"Oh, man, I gotta buy," said Wendy, as she turned to get in the hot lunch line. She scowled as Aurora approached Dipper's table, her own brown bag in hand. Smiling smugly, Aurora sat next to Dipper, making a big show of putting her hand on his shoulder and asking him about his day so far.

Wendy tried to swallow her anger, but it kept building the longer she had to wait in line. By the time she arrived back at the table and sat across from Dipper, she was ready to snap. _Calm down Corduroy, just focus on Dipper._

"Hey Dipper!" she said, completely ignoring Aurora. _Ugh, too cheerful. Be_ normal _Wendy. He loved normal Wendy._

Dipper looked up from his sandwich and smiled wanly. "Hey."

"Well hi there, _Gwendolyn_ ," said Aurora, the snark strong in her voice. "How has your day been? I assume your teachers are surprised to see you after your three-year-long absence."

Wendy's throat tightened. She knew Aurora was just trying to get a rise out of her, and she didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"They've all been happy to see me back," she said, stabbing at her Salisbury steak. "My art teacher showed me a beautiful painting that Dipper did of me last May, as his final project for her class. She said she could see the love in his eyes as he painted it." She looked at Dipper, whose face was void of any emotion as he focused on chewing his food. "She wishes us well. Says she can tell we're meant for each other."

"Oh, you're talking about Ms. Finch, right? Yeah, she's been going senile for a few years. She really should retire, the poor thing." Aurora's face was a perfect mask of fake concern.

"How do you know she's going senile?" asked Wendy, her glare icy. "Have you been poking around in her head, too? You seem to like doing that."

Dipper had stopped eating. He was looking down, his shoulders were hunched, and his hands balled into fists on the table-top. Neither girl noticed.

"If you're referring to Dipper, he has _always_ welcomed my presence in his thoughts," said Aurora, the volume and pitch of her voice both beginning to rise.

Wendy smirked. "Always, uh-huh. Oh—except not since I've been back, isn't that right? I seem to remember you worrying about some kind of emotional interference when we couldn't find him. Well," she said, her voice low, "he's back now, but he hasn't let you back in yet, has he?"

Dipper's fists were balled so tightly that his knuckles were white. His pale visage was reddening quickly. His breaths started coming faster, shallower. Neither girl noticed.

Aurora's eyes flashed silver. "You insufferable bitch," she spat.

Wendy sneered. "Filthy. Inhuman. Whore."

Aurora made a move to leap across the table and attack Wendy, but before she could, Dipper shot out of his chair, sending it rocking back to the floor. His breathing was heavy, his face blood-red, and silver sparks were flying from his clenched fists. He could feel the all eyes in the cafeteria on him. This was too much. He couldn't be around them if they were going to do this.

Aurora reached out to touch his arm, but he flinched away. He grabbed his backpack, and stormed out of the now-silent lunchroom. His powers had never before manifested purely from his emotion, without any conscious effort on his part. He didn't want to hurt anyone, so he decided to distance himself from everyone.

/

Pacifica sat across the lunch table from Mabel, nibbling on a carrot stick. Her newly short hair was coiffed specifically to look like nothing had been done with it that morning—it was tousled, like bedhead, but without all those weird flat spots and random cowlicks that seem to be an inevitability of a restful night's sleep. She rolled her eyes at her friend, who had been harping on one single subject all morning.

"You mean to tell me you have _no_ memory of what happened to you with the gnomes? None?" asked Mabel.

"Like I've told you _multiple_ times already, Mabel, no." Pacifica sipped her milk casually, before swallowing it, and continuing. "I mean, someone could have, like, I don't know, full on kissed me on the lips, and I wouldn't have any idea it happened."

Mabel nearly choked on a bite of green beans. She coughed until her face was a brilliant shade of magenta.

"Whoa there, don't die on me, love," said Pacifica. As Mabel's coughing calmed down and she began taking deep breaths, Pacifica smiled. "That's better. I was worried I'd have to give you mouth to mouth."

"Heimlich," Mabel wheezed out. "Not mouth to mouth."

"Oh," said Pacifica, biting off a chunk of carrot. "I always get those confused."

Mabel took a huge gulp of her chocolate milk, and sighed. "I think my life flashed before my eyes."

Pacifica smirked. "Any particularly _memorable_ moments that stood out to you?"

"None that you'd know of, apparently," muttered Mabel, stabbing absently at her green beans.

"What's your deal?" asked Pacifica, reaching across the table and squeezing Mabel's hand. "You've been acting all weird since I woke up in your room with no memory after the 'gnome incident.' You all say I went evil, told the gnomes to attack the town and bring me a tribute… and that I said some really hurtful things… but I feel like you're leaving something out. What aren't you telling me?"

Mabel looked up, meeting Pacifica's deep blue eyes. She felt like she was drowning in them.

"Nothing else happened," Mabel said softly, looking down at her tray. If Pacifica really didn't know, she didn't want to tell her. At least, not here. Not now.

A screech and the clatter of a chair hitting the floor suddenly rang out through the cafeteria. Mabel and Pacifica both turned their heads in the direction of the noise.

"Looks like Dipper's girls have finally driven him to the breaking point… for the day, at least," said Pacifica, raising an eyebrow, as they watched him quickly exit the lunchroom.

Mabel sighed. "I have a feeling it's gonna get a lot worse."

/

Gideon leaned an elbow on the lunch table, his chin resting in his hand, as he lazily traced a pattern on the top of his chocolate pudding.

"What's the matter?" asked Lexie, as she ravenously tore into the rare steak she'd pulled from her lunchbox.

"Oh, nothing with me, sugar," he said, sighing. "I'm just worried about Dipper." He glanced at the opposite end of the table, where Dipper sat, staring at his food without touching it, as Wendy and Aurora argued, oblivious to his body language. "He's just… not been right since Wendy poofed back into existence."

"So you think the problem is Wendy?" Lexie asked, before taking a long swig from her carton of chocolate milk.

"Au contraire, mon ami," said Gideon, with a flourish of his hand. "I think the problem is that he was finally coming to a place where he stopped feeling guilty about having feelings for Aurora—even though he never stopped loving Wendy."

"So basically, he's stuck between a rock and a sexy place?" asked Lexie, arching her brow. "That isn't the worst predicament to be in."

"It would seem that way," said Gideon, crumpling a napkin in his fist. "But you never knew Dipper when he was with Wendy. He absolutely _adored_ her. Practically worshipped the ground she walked on."

"But he has that bond thing with Aurora, right?" asked Lexie. "So she's, like, in his head 24/7?"

"Well, not right now, she's not," said Gideon. "Dip told me he hasn't let her reestablish the connection since before he left for Seattle."

Gideon and Lexie's heads both shot up at the same time, as the argument at the end of the table escalated to shouting. Dipper leapt out of his chair angrily, causing it to fall backward to the floor with a resounding crash. The cafeteria fell silent, as all eyes focused on him. Dipper's already red face turned an unhealthy-looking deep shade of crimson, as he grabbed his backpack, and raced out of the room. As the door swung shut behind him, the students eating lunch once more erupted into noise.

"You gonna go talk to him?" asked Lexie.

Gideon paused to think before he answered her. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had seen a flash of silver near Dipper's hands as he pushed the door open.

"I think he probably needs to be alone right now," he said. "He can be a little…intense…when he's angry. Especially now that Wendy and Aurora are tearing him apart like dogs playing tug-o-war with an old sock."

Lexie snorted.

"Yeah," Gideon chuckled. "I regretted that simile the moment it left my mouth. Anyway, my point stands. They're ripping him apart at the seams. (Stop rolling your eyes at me!) I know where to find him if it's bad enough that he runs off again."

Lexie chewed the last of her steak thoughtfully, wiping her mouth. "I'll tell you what my granddad would say: Dipper needs to get his bitches in line, or there will be blood."

 _/_

Dipper didn't know where he was going, he just knew he had to get away. He walked blindly through the hallways of the high school, staring at the floor. His clenched fists were still occasionally throwing off silver sparks, and he was beginning to panic because he couldn't get his magic back under control.

"Dipper?"

He spun around to see Jessica Corduroy standing in her classroom doorway, a look of genuine concern on her face. Her eyes widened as a bright arc of silver leapt from one of Dipper's hands to the other.

"I would ask if you're okay, but I can clearly see that you are not." She stood aside, and motioned for him to enter her classroom. "Come in." It was not a request.

Dipper eyed Mrs. Corduroy warily. He'd been in contact with her through Pike during the three years Wendy was missing, and she'd shown absolutely no sign of her magic or evil returning during all that time—however, once someone has tried to murder you, you tend to have trust issues with them afterwards.

"In," she said again, pointing. Dipper sighed and acquiesced.

She followed him in and softly closed the door behind him.

"Sweetie, you need to calm down," she said, without any preface. "I can see what's happening, and where it's going. It's dangerous."

"You think I don't know that?" said Dipper bitterly. "I just don't know if I can handle this Je—Mrs. Corduroy… their fighting. They constantly try to one-up each other…I" he paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath, tears starting to spill unbidden from his eyes. "Dammit," he said, sniffing and wiping the tears away. "I just want to be able to be happy that Wendy is back—that she's okay… I want to celebrate with her, kiss her… but I can't, because Aurora is jealous… and she has a point I guess, because I was sort of unofficially dating her for the past year…"

Dipper looked up at Mrs. Corduroy, whose face was difficult to read. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. You don't want to hear all this…"

"No, Dipper. You need to talk about it," she said gently. "That static rift charge that you were throwing off stopped while you were talking. You can keep going. I know I'm Wendy's mom, but I'm not judging you. I'm not one to judge _anyone_ , based on my past."

Dipper smiled wryly. "You have a point." He clenched and unclenched his fists, wincing slightly at the sharp pain from the still untreated break in his hand. He had forgotten about it.

"So, like I was saying," Dipper started again, feeling slightly calmer just being able to give voice to his feelings, "You know about the bond Aurora and I have… it started to get stronger in the past year. She always knew what I needed. She and I became…intimate. I mean, not—not sex," Dipper said, blushing furiously. "Just, kissing, cuddling...stuff… And I enjoyed what I had with her. Loved her even… still love her. But it isn't the same as what I had with Wendy. With Wendy, gods… my heart would leap just seeing her smile. She couldn't read my mind, like Aurora can, but it didn't matter. Honestly…if I had been older, we probably would have—erm… this is awkward."

"You and my daughter would have taken each other's virginities," said Mrs. Corduroy, bluntly. "There, I said it for you. Trust me, Dipper— _nothing_ you say can shock me. Literally nothing."

"I know Wendy isn't really Dan's daughter, she's Pike's," Dipper blurted out. "I know what you did."

Mrs. Corduroy pursed her lips. "Okay, one thing. But that is best saved for another conversation. Go on."

"It's just… Aurora is completely devoted to me, because of our bond. And she has been with me for the past three years—which is longer than I ever even _knew_ Wendy before she disappeared. I feel like Aurora deserves more. She wanted me to finally choose her, and let go of Wendy. And you know what? I was going to. Right up until the moment Wendy reappeared. If she hadn't reappeared, my feelings for her wouldn't have gone away, of course… I was choosing to ignore them, and be happy with the cards I had been dealt." Dipper sighed, feeling the tightness in his chest release at finally being able to voice his feelings. "I love them both, but in different ways. I don't want to hurt either of them. It might be easier to just let go of both of them…"

Mrs. Corduroy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Dipper, dear (and I know this will sound biased because of who I am, but hear me out): if your feelings for Wendy didn't diminish after three years, during which you had no idea if she was even still alive—I don't think you'll be able to just 'let go' of her now that she's back. And although you say you love Aurora, you say it feels different… I believe what you feel for Aurora is, rather, an obligation, or sense of duty. You feel that you owe her for the devotion she's shown you. That's not say you don't love her… it is obvious, due to your bond, that you two are very close. You do, indeed, love her. The question remains—are you _in_ love with her?"

Dipper looked at his feet, uncomfortable with her observations and questions.

"Sweetie, you have three choices, it would seem. Wendy, Aurora, or neither. You are going to have to make a decision sooner or later… and for your sanity, I'd highly recommend sooner."

Dipper nodded mutely.

"Now, how about you go down to the nurse's office and get your hand looked at." She had noticed how gingerly he was holding his slightly swollen hand. She winked at him. "It might even get you out of school for the rest of the day."

Dipper felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. "Thanks, Mrs. Corduroy. I was going to have Pike look at it, but I forgot." As he walked through the door and out into the hall, he turned back to her. "And… thanks for listening."

Mrs. Corduroy smiled, but her eyes were sad as she watched him go. She knew what it was like to have to choose between two people you love. She hoped he'd avoid her mistakes, and choose wisely.

 _/_

After a morning of training by himself, Pike decided to sit down for a while and relax, enjoying the stillness of the empty cabin. It was rare when he had moments like this—when he didn't have anyone to guard or protect, no eminent evil to fight. He had just settled onto the sofa when the lights began to flicker. The room slowly darkened to the dimness of twilight.

"GOD _FUCKING_ DAMMIT! I DO NOT HAVE _TIME_ FOR YOUR BULLSHIT!"

He felt soft hands gently caress his shoulders, as a cloyingly sweet feminine voice whispered in his ear, "Aww, but Pike…you're so much fun to play with."

Pike clenched his jaw and screwed his eyes shut as he hissed out, "Leave. Just go. I don't care what you have to say. I want you gone."

He felt a weight straddle his lap and a figure lean into him. "Oh, Oliver, I do wish you would reconsider. It would a shame for such a _fine specimen_ go to waste." Pike felt a vice-like grip on his one of his biceps. "Join me," the voice purred, "and you will never have to worry about the _Powers_ again."

"I told you before, _no_ ," said Pike emphatically. "If it's my time, then so be it. Nothing you can say or do is gonna change that." He cracked open his eyes to look at her. Moist, blood red eyes stared back at him, her shadowed body shifting like smoke. _Well, that was a mistake_ thought Pike, as he slammed his eyes shut again, trying to prevent the image from searing itself into his brain.

He felt teeth and hot breath on his ear as she whispered low, "Just imagine it. The power, the freedom… no more playing by the rules. You could have anything you ever wanted, Pike. Even her."

The refusal died in his throat. _No. No we are not gonna even consider…damn you._

"Ah yes," she said, giggling softly. "The lost love. All you have to do is say yes, and she could be yours again. Your precious little Sla-"

"No." Pike's voice was the barest whisper, his throat constricted with emotion. Suddenly, the weight of the body on his was gone. He opened his eyes to find himself alone, early afternoon sunlight streaming in through the cabin's windows.

Pike hung his head in his hands, and stared at the floor. _No…but gods if it isn't tempting._

/

Wendy's last class of the day was English 12, with Mrs. Corduroy. As Wendy walked past her mother's desk, she saw the class list, and noted that Dipper's name was down for this period, as well as Aurora's. She scanned the room, and seeing Aurora already seated in the exact center of the room, she chose a seat in the very back, next to the window.

She hadn't seen Dipper since lunch, although he wasn't supposed to have been in her physics lab or government class between then and now. She craned her neck as her classmates wandered into the room and took seats. When the tardy bell rang, she began to worry. Dipper had always been so studious. He wasn't the type to skip class.

Wendy felt another knot of worry form in her stomach when her mother completely skipped over Dipper's name during roll call. She noticed Aurora shifting uncomfortably in her seat as well. At one point during class, Wendy caught her mother's eye, and mouthed "Where's Dipper?" Mrs. Corduroy just shook her head, and moved on with her lesson.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the school day, Wendy walked to the front of the classroom to talk to her mom. Mrs. Corduroy stopped Aurora at the door, and once all the other students had left the room, she shut the door firmly. Slowly, she turned around and made several seconds of lingering eye contact with each of them.

"Sit down, girls," she said finally. They sat. "Dipper left school early, to get his hand looked at. Apparently he broke it a few days ago, but somehow forgot to tell anyone."

Mrs. Corduroy was pleased to see that both girls looked shamefaced. "That's what I thought. Neither of you had had any idea he'd even hurt himself. You've been too busy trying to make each other look bad, and piss each other off."

Wendy opened her mouth to protest.

"I don't want to hear it, young lady," said Mrs. Corduroy before Wendy could even speak. "You are both being awful. You are tearing poor Dipper apart, and making what is already a difficult decision for him a thousand times worse, by behaving the way you are."

"He'd already made his decision," muttered Aurora bitterly.

"He might have, yes—but circumstances change," said Mrs. Corduroy, glancing at Wendy. "I'm not going to sit here and lecture you all afternoon, but I wanted to let you know that your little argument at lunch today had him so upset, he was subconsciously channeling pure rift energy. When I saw him, it was sparking from his hands. As someone with rift magic experience, I cannot begin to tell you how dangerous that is, both for him, and everyone around him."

"But mom, she—"

"No," interrupted Mrs. Corduroy. "No buts, no excuses, no blame game. You should have seen him earlier…you girls have broken something in him. I am telling you right now—you _will_ be civil to each other when you are around Dipper. And if either of you spends any time alone with Dipper, you _will not_ spend the entire time speaking negatively of the other." She paused, glaring at both Wendy and Aurora in turn. "If you both love Dipper as much as you say you do, you will stop making this so difficult on him. And as hard as it may be—once he has made his choice, you must both accept it."

/

Dipper was standing at the kitchen counter, attempting to spread peanut butter onto a slice of bread with his left hand, and failing miserably, when Mabel walked in.

"Fucking piece of—gah! Stupid cast!" he muttered, not noticing his sister.

"Wow, Wendy and Aurora were right," said Mabel. "Dipper, why didn't you tell anyone you'd hurt yourself? And for that matter, _how_ did you hurt yourself? Give me that." She grabbed the knife from Dipper, and spread an even layer of peanut butter neatly over his sad little maimed and torn slice of bread.

Dipper shrugged. "Thanks," he said, as he stuffed his face.

"Well?" Mabel prodded.

"Well what?" he asked with his mouth full.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"I broke it," said Dipper simply.

"Yes, I can see that, smarty-pants," huffed Mabel. " _How_ did you break it?"

"I fell and landed wrong on it in the woods," Dipper lied. The last thing he needed was anyone other than Gideon knowing about his angry visits to Bill Cipher.

Mabel narrowed her eyes. She could tell Dipper wasn't telling the truth, but she didn't want to press the issue. "So," she said, changing the subject, "Wendy and Aurora are waiting for you in the living room."

"Oh yeah?" Dipper said casually, trying to sneak slowly backwards toward the door.

"No you don't," said Mabel, grabbing him by his good arm. "You need to spend time with them. Avoiding them is only going to drag this drama out even further. Besides, they seemed… subdued on the way home. I think they feel bad about causing your little freak-out at lunch."

Dipper sighed. "But I don't wanna."

"Come on, you big baby," said Mabel, grinning as she dragged Dipper toward the living room. "Maybe you could do a movie night with them. Not a lot of talking involved there."

"Fine," said Dipper quietly. He felt a pang in his chest, as he remembered the movie nights he used to spend with Wendy. He wished everything was still as simple…relatively speaking…as it had been back then.

/

The tension was palpable in Dipper's bedroom that evening. He sat, rigid, on the edge of his bed, Wendy and Aurora sprawled on either side of him. He tried to make himself as small as possible, while both girls did their best to touch him "accidentally."

About thirty minutes into the movie, just when things were starting to get good, Dipper let his guard down. He felt a warmth on his thigh, and looked down to see Wendy's hand there. He froze. He didn't want to move it—partially because it felt good, and he missed Wendy's touch—and partially because he was afraid if he moved it, Aurora would notice, and bad things would happen.

A few minutes later, he felt another hand. _Oh for fucks sake_ he thought. Aurora had stealthily slid her hand up under his shirt, and was lightly scratching his back with her fingernails. Dipper tried his best to hold back a shudder, but failed. Wendy noticed.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, glaring at Aurora, who quickly withdrew her hand from his shirt.

"Nothing," said Aurora. Then she noticed Wendy's hand, still on Dipper's thigh. She narrowed her eyes. "What, exactly, do you think _you're_ doing?"

"I've had my hand there for like ten minutes. You'd think if he didn't like it, Dipper would have moved it—right Dipper?" said Wendy, giving his thigh a gentle squeeze.

Dipper looked down at his hands, and realized they were starting to develop a silver glow. He clenched his cast-less fist, and stood up quickly. "Who wants snacks?" he asked, sounding entirely too cheerful. "I'm gon-I'm uh, gonna go get some—snacks! Get some snacks…" He quickly rushed out of the room, trying to control the silver sparks flying off his hands. One hit the remote control for the dvd player, but he didn't notice in his hurry to flee the awkward and potentially dangerous situation. 

/

Screams and bloody gurgles echoed out of Dipper's room and down the stairs.

"If I didn't know they were watching a horror movie, I'd be really concerned right about now," said Gideon. He and Lexie sat next to each other on the loveseat, while Mabel sat on the floor in front of Pacifica, on the couch, who was braiding her hair.

"I still don't see why you won't let me watch with them, Gid," complained Lexie. "It sounds awesome."

"Sweetie," said Gideon, patting her leg, "If you go up there, they might see you as competition. Do you _really_ want that?"

Lexie pursed her lips. "It depends on how good the movie is."

"Look, sugar," said Gideon. "I _promise_ I'll borrow the movie from Dipper and watch it with you this weekend, okay?"

Lexie sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine. You'd better make popcorn."

Across the room, Pacifica scoffed. "I don't get what you people see in horror movies. Isn't Gravity Falls weird enough already? Do you really need more weirdness and monsters in your life?"

Gideon and Lexie looked at each other and grinned, saying a simultaneous "Yes."

"I don't like scary movies either, Paz," said Mabel. "I love a good rom-com with a happy ending."

"Me too," said Pacifica, undoing the braid she'd just finished, and running her fingers through Mabel's hair. Mabel leaned back, her eyes closed, her expression blissful. A sudden clatter of footsteps on the stairs made her sit upright.

"Dipper, are you alright?" asked Gideon, noticing Dipper's pallor.

Dipper looked around the room, his eyes wide, hands held behind his back. "Yeah, yeah, just getting some air," he said in a rush, as he quickly made his way to the front door and onto the porch.

The room was silent for a moment. Everyone was looking to each other with similar mixtures of confusion and concern. Finally, Gideon stood.

"I guess that's my cue," he said, and let himself out onto the porch.

/

Silver light flashed like lightning, temporarily blinding Aurora and Wendy.

"What the hell?" said Wendy, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

Aurora rubbed her eyes vigorously. "Dipper, was that you? What happened?"

"Oh my god," said Wendy, as she was finally able to see again. "This is not good. This is _so_ not good."

Aurora gasped as her vision finally returned. "Dipper?" she asked weakly, turning around to look for him.

Everything around them was in black and white, including the girls themselves. They were standing in a moonlit gothic cemetery, dressed in old-fashioned school uniforms—knee length plaid skirts, bobby socks and saddle shoes, paired with white blouses featuring peter pan collars. They both wore their hair pulled neatly back in ponytails.

"Wendy, what is happening?" asked Aurora, her voice lacking any of the snark and superiority she had recently been aiming in the redhead's direction.

"Uh, I have no idea..." said Wendy softly. "But I think we're somehow _in_ the movie."

As if intentionally seeking to confirm her hypothesis, a rotting hand shot up out of the ground, and grabbed Wendy's ankle.

"Holymotherfuckingshitballs!" screeched Wendy, kicking her foot furiously until she dislodged the hand.

"Wendy, behind you!" cried Aurora, causing Wendy to move just in time to dodge being grabbed by the zombie making its way out from behind the mausoleum she was standing in front of.

"This is really not good! Really, _really_ not good!" cried Wendy. She grabbed Aurora's hand and ran for the cemetery gate.

"They're everywhere!" screamed Aurora, as the girls weaved between gravestones and outstretched corpse arms.

"At least…they're slow shamblers…" wheezed Wendy, as they finally reached the gate.

"They're…what?" puffed Aurora.

The girls continued running down a dusty dirt road, toward a small farmhouse in the distance.

"Slow…shamblers…" said Wendy, between breaths. "Instead of… runners. Old-school…zombies."

"Oh…okay," said Aurora. She glanced behind them, and indeed, a multitude of corpses were slowly shambling toward them.

They reached the farmhouse yard, where Wendy cried "Score!" as she grabbed a heavy axe that was leaning against a stump. They burst into the house, and found it was unoccupied.

"Help me push this desk in front of the door," said Wendy.

"Why should I do that?" asked Aurora, her snide tone returning now that they were out of eminent danger. "Won't that trap us in here and make it harder to escape when the zombies get in?"

"No, the point is, if we reinforce the doors and windows, they won't get in at _all_ ," said Wendy, attempting to move the desk by herself.

"I am _not_ going to be trapped in here with you," hissed Aurora, pushing back against the other side of the desk.

"Get off," said Wendy, her voice dangerously low.

Aurora smirked. "No."

Wendy lost her temper, and screamed, swinging the axe down into the solid wood of the desk, lodging it there. Aurora jumped, her smirk faltering.

"What the _hell_ is your problem, Aurora?!" she shouted. "We were friends! Now you hate me for no other reason than that I still _exist_! You'd rather be eaten alive by zombies than work together with me!"

"My problem," Aurora said slowly, "is that you show back up after being gone for _three years,_ and expect Dipper to drop everything—his whole life he built without you—and fall right back into your arms." Her face was hard, but a single tear ran down her cheek. "I've been there for him the whole time, picking up the pieces you left behind… and," her voice began to shake, tears falling in earnest, "it breaks my heart that after three years of being completely devoted to him…Dipper might still choose you."

Wendy's features softened, but she was still on the defensive, as she said "Aurora, you have to keep two things in mind. The first is that I truly _do_ love Dipper, and would never have left him like that willingly—I still don't know what happened, but I would never intentionally hurt him like that." Wendy took a deep breath before continuing. "The second thing is that literally _no_ time lapsed for me. I still feel as strongly about Dipper as I did on the night of his birthday three years ago. I can't just give him up without a fight. I can't."

"He's just been so _miserable_ since you suddenly reappeared," said Aurora bitterly. "My connection to him doesn't have to be active to see that."

"I'm fairly certain _I'm_ not the reason he's been so miserable," said Wendy. "I think he just doesn't want to hurt either of us, and it's killing him."

"I miss happy Dipper," sighed Aurora. She lifted herself onto the desktop, where she sat, swinging her legs. "I suppose our constant bickering hasn't helped the situation for him."

"I think you suppose right," said Wendy softly. She gripped the axe's handle, and wrenched it out of the desk. She stood, legs spread apart, turning the axe over in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she said "Aurora, we both want Dipper to be happy…"

"Yes," agreed Aurora.

"And we both love him," continued Wendy.

Aurora nodded.

"Do you think maybe we should back off him some, then?" asked Wendy. "Like, actually be decent to each other? And not freak out if the other touches him? I mean, no making out with him—unless he initiates it, I guess—but no trying to _seduce_ him, or whatever?"

Aurora looked down at her hands in her lap. "That would certainly be more fair to Dipper… and less likely to drive him crazy."

Wendy nodded. "We need to just be our normal, non-bitchily possessive selves… let him come to whatever decision he comes to on his own."

"I'm just so scared he's going to decide on you," said Aurora, her voice small.

"Hey, I'm pretty freaking scared he's gonna pick you," countered Wendy.

Aurora and Wendy made eye contact, and genuinely smiled at each other for the first time since Wendy's sudden return—and then a zombie burst through the door.

"Shit shit SHIT, we forgot about the motherfucking zombies!" yelled Wendy, hefting her axe. Aurora jumped off the desk and quickly scanned the room for anything she could use as a weapon, her gaze landing on an iron poker next to the fireplace. She raced across the room to grab it, then ran back to Wendy's side. Together the girls commenced a good, old-fashioned, zombie beat-down.

"They just keep coming!" cried Aurora, as she jabbed an approaching zombie through its eye socket, the end of the poker crunching out through the back of its skull. She jerked the poker back out of the collapsing corpse, and prepared for her next attacker. "How do we stop this?!"

"I don't know!" cried Wendy, as she took a bloated zombie's head off in one clean sweep. "Think, Corduroy, _think_!" She wracked her brain, thinking of all the zombie movies she'd ever watched, and how they ended.

"Wendy, help!" cried Aurora, who had been grabbed from behind, festering hands grasping at her neck.

"Back off, you dead asshole!" cried Wendy, kicking Aurora's attacker in his torso, knocking him aside. When he was clear of Aurora, Wendy aimed an axe blow to his neck. It only partially decapitated him, and he kept slowly trudging forward.

"We could really use Dipper's rift magic right about now!" shouted Aurora, hitting another zombie over the head with a dull thud.

"Oh, I'm such an _idiot_!" said Wendy, smacking herself in the forehead. Then she cringed, wiping at the coagulated zombie blood she'd just smeared on her face. "If we're in the movie, that probably means that Dipper is able to see and hear us on his tv! He and Gideon could probably get us out of this!" She finished decapitating the zombie that had grabbed Aurora, and turned to another attacker.

"If that was the case, wouldn't he have helped us by now?" asked Aurora, thumping multiple zombies on their heads like a macabre game of Whack-a-Mole.

"Not if he was avoiding us by hanging out downstairs," said Wendy. "We just need to scream his name, and keep screaming it as loud as we can, okay?"

Aurora looked at Wendy and nodded, then focused back on her current zombie adversary. Both girls took deep breaths, and started screaming at the top of their lungs.

"DIPPER!"

/

Dipper was sitting on the front steps, visibly shaking.

"Hey, buddy," said Gideon gently. "What's going on?"

Dipper held his hands up, and Gideon jumped back as flecks of silver energy sparked from them at random. "Gid, I can't control it," said Dipper, his voice shaking. "It happened today at lunch too. I'm afraid I'm gonna hurt someone."

"So how did you stop it earlier today?" asked Gideon, as he leaned against the porch railing a few feet from Dipper. He didn't want to be within sparking distance.

"I didn't, not consciously," said Dipper, his face illuminated in the twilight every few seconds by brilliant sparks from his hands. "Jess—Mrs. Corduroy pulled me into her classroom when she saw my hands. She had me talk about my _feelings_. By the time I was done talking to her, I'd stopped throwing off rift sparks."

"Well, I know what set it off earlier today—I'm guessing something similar just happened upstairs?" said Gideon.

"They were both trying to touch me without the other seeing," recalled Dipper. "Well, their respective plans didn't work, and they started arguing about it. I…Gid, I can't keep doing this."

"I don't know what to tell you, honey, other than it's probably going to stay like this until you make a decision." Gideon paused, running his hands through his shiny, white hair. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Dipper asked, desperate for an answer to his problem.

"Well, if you're not ready to make a decision, what about setting aside equal amounts of time where you only hang out with one at a time?" suggested Gideon. "The decision will still probably be just as difficult for you to make, but in the meantime, hopefully not allowing them the chance to fight over you _in front of you_ will keep you from spontaneously combusting, or whatever."

Dipper took a deep breath. "That could work, I guess. Hang out with Aurora here, and with Wendy at her house… but what about school?"

"We can't do anything about classes you have with them, unfortunately, but I've got your back in the halls and cafeteria," said Gideon, then he grinned. "And Dip, you _know_ Lexie will have no problem at all with running interference for you."

Dipper smiled, in spite of everything. "You guys are awesome, you know that?"

Gideon chuckled and patted Dipper's shoulder. "Of course I know it, sugar. Come on now, let's get you back inside. Your sparklers have stopped."

As Dipper and Gideon entered the living room, Lexie shot up off the loveseat, and grabbed Gideon's hand.

"Thank _God_ you're back." She pointed at Mabel and Pacifica. "They were gonna paint my nails and braid my hair." She shuddered.

Dipper laughed, and sat down on the opposite side of the sofa from Pacifica, while Gideon and Lexie took up position again on the loveseat. "What, you don't want pretty pink claws?"

Lexie scowled at him. "I'll cut you."

Mabel yawned, and leaned her head back between Pacifica's knees, looking at her upside down. "I'm thirsty. You want anything to drink, Paz?" Pacifica shook her head. Mabel looked back at the rest of the room's occupants. "Anyone else thirsty?"

Gideon and Dipper shook their heads, but Lexie nodded. "Soda would be good."

"Okie dokie, be right back," said Mabel, hopping up and heading toward the kitchen. Just as she reached in the fridge, she stopped in her tracks.

 _ **Nine Bodies Lay Upon The Floor In A Circle, Sand Covers Their Eyes. As One They Mutter 'Beware The Sandman'.**_

 _ **He Stands Defiant Before The Terrible Lizard, Axe of Flaming Silver Held High. His Eyes Burn With a Rage Long Forgotten.**_

 _ **The Blood Moon Hangs High In The Midday Sky, The Time Of Eternal Night Draws Near.**_

 _ **Caught Between Light And Darkness, An Impossible Choice. The Hero Will Fall.**_

 _ **A Trinket Floats In Nothingness. It Shifts, Never Staying As A Single Shape. It Holds All The Answers…If Only It Could Be Unlocked.**_

Mabel slowly made her way back into the living room, a dazed look on her face. She hadn't had visions in long time, and still wasn't very good at deciphering their meanings. She absently handed Lexie a can of soda, and sat between Pacifica and Dipper on the couch. Dipper was about to ask Mabel what was wrong, when Lexie brought up a very valid point.

"Um, has anyone else noticed how quiet it's been upstairs?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Gideon. "We can still hear the movie."

"But… no cat-fighting," said Pacifica slowly.

"Oh gods, do you think they finally killed each other?" asked Gideon, only half joking.

"No, because if they did, I'd smell blood," said Lexie, not joking at all.

"I—I guess I'm gonna go see what's up…" said Dipper, getting to his feet.

As he slowly made his way up the stairs, the soundtrack of the movie became more audible. He paused on the middle step, the blood draining from his face, as he clearly heard two voices in the movie scream his name.

/

Dipper ran up the stairs, his heart beating furiously. The door to his bedroom was still open, the way he'd left it, but Wendy and Aurora were gone.

"Dipper!"

He turned his head, knowing what he would see, but not wanting to accept it. There they were, on the screen: two of the most important people in his whole world, back to back, fighting zombies.

"How in the _fuck_?" he muttered, as he rushed over to the television, touching first Wendy's face, then Aurora's. They looked terrified, but they were holding their own, amassing a large pile of dismembered corpses at their feet. They looked exhausted, but they continued screaming his name.

"Wendy! Aurora!" he screamed at the screen. They didn't seem to hear him.

"I… I don't think he's going to come for us," said Aurora softly, lowering the fire-poker she'd been wielding. "He probably hates us for how we've been acting."

"Aurora, behind you!" cried Dipper, wishing she could hear him. She screamed, as a zombie grabbed her arm.

"No!" both Wendy and Dipper screamed at the same time. Wendy had more to say, though, as she sliced through the zombie's arm with her axe. "Dipper would never give up on us! Never!"

Hearing Wendy's wholehearted faith in him brought tears to Dipper's eyes. "Never," he whispered.

Dipper summoned the rift with every ounce of his being. He gritted his teeth and with trembling hands, began to tear apart the fabric of reality. Sweat poured off of him, as he tore a hole in reality, into the movie.

"Wendy! Aurora! Here!" he screamed, attempting to hold the tear in reality as wide open as possible.

Wendy broke into a grin, tears streaming down her face, and grabbed Aurora by the hand, running toward Dipper. "I knew it! I told you!" she cried.

Dipper reached through the rift with his left hand, and grabbed Wendy's. He pulled until he was sure both Wendy and Aurora were all the way through, and then let go of the tear he'd made. The torn edges of reality snapped shut with a deafening boom, as if lightning had just struck directly overhead.

Wendy and Aurora fell as they came through the rift, landing on Dipper. The three teens lay on the floor in a sweaty, panting, heap. Wendy was still holding onto Dipper's hand for dear life.

A noise from the hall made Dipper glance up.

Mabel, Pacifica, Lexie and Gideon stood in the doorway, openmouthed.

Lexie grinned, and gave Dipper a thumbs up. Gideon cocked his head to the side, arching an eyebrow. Pacifica's eyes were wide. Mabel furrowed her brow, and said "We heard shouting so we came to see what was wrong…"

"I'd explain," said Dipper, looking at Wendy and Aurora in turn, "but I don't even know what the hell just happened."

Aurora leaned up off the floor on an elbow. "Silver light…rift magic, I think. You left the room, and suddenly Wendy and I were in the movie."

"That makes sense," said Gideon. "Dip, you _were_ throwing some pretty fierce sparks when you came downstairs. Maybe one of them hit the tv or something before you left the room."

"Sparks?" Wendy said, furrowing her brow. "What are you talking about?"

Dipper looked at the floor. "It just started today," he mumbled. "Whenever you and Aurora fight… I can't control my rift magic, and silver sparks start flying from my hands. Your mom said it was dangerous… I guess this proves just how right she was."

"Our fighting is affecting you so much that you're channeling the rift without meaning to?" asked Aurora.

Dipper nodded. "I just… I can't handle it."

Wendy looked at Aurora, who nodded. They both leaned over and kissed him on the cheeks. Dipper's heart skipped a beat.

"We both love you, Dipper," said Wendy. "We've decided to try and play nice… let you figure things out at your own pace."

"We don't want to cause you any more grief than the decision alone is already causing," said Aurora.

Wendy stood up, offering a hand up to both Dipper and Aurora. She kissed Dipper on the cheek once more, whispered "I love you" in his ear, and turned to leave.

"Wendy," called Dipper, as she walked past their friends in the doorway, who stood once more with mouths agape. Wendy turned to look at him. "Thank you," he said softly. She smiled and inclined her head, then walked down the stairs, and left.

/

A flash of lightning split the steel gray sky, a harsh, cold breeze sending dead dry leaves careening down the street. A young boy dressed in clothes much too big for him stood on a cracked sidewalk before an imposing, decrepit house. He slowly walked toward the house on stumbling feet, clearly hesitant about going nearer. The front door creaked open as soon as the boy's feet touched the porch steps.

"Ahhh yes, the younger Corduroy. It has been _far_ too long." A voice growled gutturally from within the darkened doorway. "I can't wait to meet all of your new little friends."

The boy backed away in fear, tripping backwards down the stairs. "N-no th-that's not possible. We-we stopped you."

"Hehehe! Oh, you silly boy, I've always been here. Watching. Waiting. Biding my time." A horrible screech, like nails across a chalkboard, rent the air.

"I'm not a little kid anymore," said young Pike, defiantly. "I'm more than capable than dealing with you myself."

"Look at yourself, little Ollie. You may have grown up. But so have your fears."

"I-I'm not scared of you!"

"Oh, I think I can change that." A terribly scarred hand reached out from the darkness to grip the doorframe. "Welcome to your nightmare."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 18: Bad Dreams On Pine St.

/

So I listen to a lot of music while I write and I wish I could put up a playlist for each particular chapter that influences the mood, that's why occasionally I'll throw some lyrics in if it especially fits the theme of the chapter. None that popped out this time just a lot of punk/cover songs. Special thanks going out to **Geekngroom** she is instrumental in helping shape the world you've come to enjoy. Thanks Babe.

SHOUTOUTS! **scrogham, fereality, thereader16, MorgothII, LimboticMistisos, NyaNyaKittyFace, Dexay, Mighty Turtle, TGGDSD, anubis112134, NecroticHate. You guys Rock!** I absolutely take what you guys say to heart, and try to make sure that I cover any questions/ concerns you have in the next chapter. If I don't its probably because I don't want to spoil something coming later down the line.

Peace


	18. Bad Dreams On Pine Street

***Warning* This Episode Contains Material that Younger Viewers May Find Inappropriate.**

 **Viewer Discretion Is Advised.**

Chapter 18

Bad Dreams On Pine Street

Footsteps echoed off the walls of the abandoned buildings lining either side of the dark street, as little Ollie Corduroy ran for his life. His lungs were on fire.

He had nowhere to hide, no alleys to dart into. He didn't know what horrors awaited him on the inside of the decrepit, empty warehouses, and he wasn't keen to find out. So he ran on.

Out of the darkness, a crumbling building came looming into view before him. A dead end. Ollie stopped and tried to catch his breath, while he held a stitch in his side. The large iron doors leading into the warehouse were bound shut with thick chains, an enormous padlock holding them in place. He heard an odd noise—one that did not belong in this dim and dangerous place. Stepping toward the door, he heard it again. The laughter of a young girl was emanating from behind the padlocked doors.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" came a raspy voice from behind him.

Ollie spun around, his eyes wide, cursing himself for getting distracted. The shadowed figure stepped forward, his scarred face twisting into a malevolent grin.

"What could little Ollie have hidden in here, so safely and securely tucked away?"

Ollie clenched his fists, and stood his ground. "Keep back! You'll never get in there!"

"Oh, now, _never_ is a very long time, Oliver," said the creature, a hint of amusement in his guttural voice. "I think I can get it open a little sooner than that."

/

Dipper Pines was living the dream. Well, not his dream. A dream. Ever since the night Dipper tore open reality to save Wendy and Aurora from a gory, black and white death, it felt like he had _two_ girlfriends. They had both wanted to hold his hand on the way to school the next morning, and Dipper had to explain that he would prefer his reputation remain free of allusions that he was prepping Wendy and Aurora to be sister-wives. The girls agreed that PDAs were to remain platonic, and if they wanted to show him that kind of affection, it needed to be in private.

If Dipper were a less honorable individual, he could easily take advantage of the situation. Honestly, he did think about it. At night. When he was alone. He was grateful that Aurora couldn't currently access his dreams.

Three days after the "zombie event," as the gang had been referring to it, Dipper was woken up by a sharp rap at his door. The doorknob rattled and started to turn.

"Dipper?" Wendy poked her head in. Her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. She quickly clamped her mouth shut, her lips turning upward into a knowing smile, as Dipper grabbed a pillow and pressed it down onto his lap.

"H-hey Wendy," he stammered. "You're here early."

Wendy turned her head to look into the hall behind her, and then slipped into Dipper's bedroom, swiftly locking the door behind her. She slowly sauntered to the bed, and sat on the edge, next to Dipper.

Placing her hand on top of his, she whispered low "So when did you start sleeping naked?"

Dipper's heart was pounding, as blood rushed to his face, and various other parts of his body. He suddenly felt like an awkward thirteen-year-old again. He remembered very keenly, from his previous experiences with Wendy, what it was like to long for something, and yet be terrified of it at the same time.

"N-not until you came back," he mumbled. "After Aurora stopped sleeping in here."

Wendy arched an eyebrow, and leaned in closer, whispering into his ear. "Well, I guess she missed out, then."

Dipper took a deep, shuddering breath as she lightly nipped his earlobe. When he didn't protest, she began pressing soft kisses up and down his neck, and across his collarbone.

He couldn't take it anymore. Groaning, he cupped her face in his good hand, and kissed Wendy for the first time since she'd been back. Her lips were warm, and soft, and so inviting. Slowly, she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him, and running her fingers through his sleep-mussed hair.

Wendy tasted salt, and pulled back from Dipper slightly. Tears were flowing down his cheeks.

"Dipper…" she whispered, concerned. He leaned in, and rested his forehead against hers.

"Wendy… when you disappeared…" he said, his throat tight, "A part of me died. I… I can't…" Dipper stopped trying to talk, and grabbed Wendy in a hug so tight that her back popped.

They sat on Dipper's bed, simply holding each other, until a voice rang out from the bottom of the steps.

"Wendy, tell Dipper to hurry!" shouted Aurora. "His eggs are getting cold!"

At the sound of her voice, the couple sprang apart. "My eggs…?" said Dipper, his brow furrowed.

"He'll be down soon, Aurora!" shouted Wendy. She smiled at Dipper, and wiped an errant tear from his cheek with her thumb. "I came over early so we could make you breakfast," she said cheerfully. She reached under the pillow on Dipper's lap, and gave his thigh a gentle squeeze. Winking, she said "You should put some pants on and come downstairs."

Ten minutes later, Dipper joined Wendy and Aurora in the kitchen.

"What took you so long?" asked Aurora, pulling a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon out of the microwave where they'd been keeping warm.

"I needed to grab a shower," said Dipper, truthfully. _A cold shower._

"Well, hurry and eat," she said, sitting the plate in front of him, and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "We need to leave for school soon."

As Dipper wolfed down his breakfast, Wendy went to go use the restroom before their walk to school. Dipper was paying attention to his food, and didn't notice Aurora walk up behind him.

"I miss sharing a bed with you," whispered Aurora, her breath hot on his neck. She slid a hand up the back of his shirt, and lightly scratched his back with her nails—something that he found very arousing. She smiled as she remembered her discovery of this, one night when she was trying to help him relax and sleep. It had led to one of their best nights together. They had kissed a little before that night, but Aurora scratching his back had flipped some kind of switch in Dipper, and they shared a passionate, almost animalistic make-out session. It could have led to more, but Dipper had put a stop to it about the time Aurora started reaching into his pants.

Aurora snapped back to the present as Dipper began to shudder, his neck turning red. She licked his ear lightly, and whispered "Remember this when you make your decision… I always will know _exactly_ what you want, and will be _more_ than happy to let you take it. Again, and again, and again."

They heard the toilet flush, so Aurora distanced herself slightly from Dipper, and patted his shoulder.

"Come on, time to go to school. Don't worry—I already packed your lunch. It's in your book bag."

As Aurora left to grab her backpack, Dipper sat in the kitchen, trying to compose himself. This was better than the constant fighting, of course. But it still might end up killing him.

/

Pacifica and Mabel had first period English together with Mrs. Corduroy. She had taken the class to the library, where they had broken up into pairs to work on a research project. Naturally, the girls chose to work with each other.

They walked through the stacks, searching for the books they needed, and as they walked, they talked.

"So I never asked you—why'd you decide to go so short with your hair?" asked Mabel. "I mean, not that it doesn't look great on you… I just never figured you for short. You always had such beautiful long hair."

"Oh, well, you know," said Pacifica swiping her bangs out of her eyes. "My girlfriend's hair was short, and it always seemed so much easier and quicker for her to fix in the mornings. Plus, she said I'd look hot with short hair. Do you think she was right?"

Mabel huffed. "Oh, I don't know. It's your girlfriend's opinion that matters."

"Mabel, what's your problem today?" asked Paz, pulling a book off the shelf, and then frowning and putting it back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Mabel stiffly, as she grabbed the book Pacifica had just re-shelved, and tucked it under her arm.

"That! That right there!" said Pacifica, frustrated. "Your attitude. Your tone of voice. You're acting like you're mad at me!"

Mabel turned around, and looked Pacifica in the eye. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"That sounds less like a rhetorical question, and more like you want me to tell me the reason you're mad at me," complained Pacifica.

"What, doesn't your _girlfriend_ ever get mad at you?" spat Mabel.

Pacifica stepped back. "What the hell does my girlfriend have to do with you being mad at me? You don't even know her."

"Really?" asked Mabel sarcastically. "I feel like I do. Because she's all I've heard about for the past couple days. Every time we talk. About anything. I don't know her and I'm fucking sick of her, Paz."

Pacifica's lips formed a tight line. "Sorry my happiness has become so detrimental to yours." She reached past Mabel and grabbed a book off the shelf. Hugging it to herself, she continued. "I'm surprised at you, Mabel. How many of your dumb crushes that never go _anywhere_ have I had to hear about over the years? Hypocrite."

Pacifica turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Mabel staring at the floor, blinking back tears.

/

After the last bell of the day rang, Lexie impatiently stood by Gideon's locker, waiting for him to finish cramming his textbooks into his satchel.

"Gid, seriously, you don't need to take home all of those, do you?" asked Lexie. "We share half of our classes, and I'm not bringing any of my notebooks or textbooks home with me."

Gideon smiled wryly at her. "It's just that I prefer passin' my classes, honey."

Lexie scoffed. "I'm going to pass my classes—that's why I keep you around!"

Gideon rolled his eyes, and heaved the bulging satchel over his shoulder. "There, finally!"

The pair took two steps, and with a loud rip the seam of Gideon's bag split, spilling his books, papers and pens all over the hallway.

"Oh for the love of—this is ludicrous," muttered Gideon. Lexie snorted with laughter. The pair knelt down and began picking up Gideon's belongings. Gideon was reaching for his biology textbook, when a large sneaker-clad foot kicked it across the hall.

"Oh, look, it's Widdle Ol' Gideon!" said the owner of the shoe—the captain of the varsity football team. Laughter behind him indicated his cronies were nearby.

"Hey, Widdle Gideon, been secretly filming anyone recently?" shouted one of the cronies.

Gideon stood, his normally pale complexion taking on a pink tinge. "Oh, you know, just your mom," he replied.

"Ooooh, you're awfully brave talking like that, you white-haired freak," spat the captain. "Especially when your freak buddy, Dipstick, isn't around to protect you."

Gideon clenched his fists, as the football player stepped forward menacingly. Nobody was paying any attention to Lexie, who was still crouched near the floor. As the football player took one more step toward Gideon, he felt an iron grip tighten around his ankle.

"What the?" he looked down at Lexie, who was staring up at him, yellow eyes blazing. She grinned malevolently.

"You're gonna wanna think twice about that," she said.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" cried the captain. "Get off me, you stupid bitch!"

Before anyone could blink, Lexie was on her feet. She rammed the football player into the lockers, and held him pinned against them by his neck.

"You're right about one thing," she said low, glaring at him from under her eyelids. "I _am_ a bitch."

His throat constricted, the football player couldn't do anything but wheeze, his eyes wide.

"Lexie—" began Gideon, but she cut him off.

"No, Gid. Nobody threatens my friends." She shot a look back at the football captain's cronies, who backed up, holding up their hands. " _Nobody_."

She tightened her grip around the boy's throat once more for emphasis, before letting go. He scrambled away, red-faced.

As the football players hurried away, Lexie heard one of them say "That bitch is fucking psychotic!" She grinned.

Turning around, she saw Gideon back on his hands and knees, picking up his books and papers. She sashayed past him and playfully swatted his rear, before kneeling down to help him finish collecting his things.

He jumped, and looked at her, his eyes wide.

"Sorry, Gid," she said, winking at him. "Violence always makes me a little frisky."

Gideon felt like he blushed to the roots of his hair. For once he didn't have a witty comeback. He made a noncommittal noise, and finished picking up the rest of his books and papers from the floor.

Looking at his satchel, he sighed. "I guess there's no point in me trying to take anything home tonight in this." Once he and Lexie had everything in hand, she helped him shove it all unceremoniously into his locker.

The hallways were empty of students, and janitors were moving classroom to classroom by the time Gideon and Lexie made it outside of the school building. They walked in an amicable silence for a while, until Lexie finally spoke up.

"So, uh, what exactly did that asshole mean when he asked if you had been secretly filming anyone lately? And also," she laughed, "I'm sorry, but 'Widdle Gideon'? What the hell was that all about?"

Gideon ran his hands through his hair. "I was hoping you'd forgotten what he said."

"Nope," said Lexie with a grin. She poked him in the ribs. "Spill it, witchy boy."

They were passing a park, so Gideon motioned for Lexie to follow him in. The playground was empty of children, so the pair sat side by side on the swings.

"This isn't easy for me to talk about, Lex." Gideon began, scuffing his shoe in the dirt. "I was honestly hoping you'd never find out. It's been nice having a friend who only knows the best of you, and not the worst."

"This is your best?" joked Lexie. "What, are you not even trying?"

"You amuse yourself quite a bit, don't you?" asked Gideon sardonically.

"Yes, sir, I do," said Lexie. "Now tell me what those assholes were talking about."

Gideon sat silent for a moment, deciding where to begin.

"Basically, as a kid, I was a nightmare. I was spoiled, and selfish, and would throw tantrums whenever I didn't get my way. Violent ones." He paused. "When I was about eight, however, things got much, much worse. I was playing in the woods, and I found this old, hand-written journal, full of spells, and all sorts of weird stuff about Gravity Falls."

"One of Dipper's Grunkle Ford's journals, right?" asked Lexie.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that at the time, of course. I became obsessed with the journal. I tried some of the spells, and discovered that they actually worked. I found this enchanted bolo tie—"

"Enchanted what now?" interrupted Lexie, scrunching her nose up in confusion.

Gideon sighed. "You know, what cowboys wear, with the thin leather strap held together with a metal clasp or decoration of some kind?"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Lexie, holding up her hand. "Don't tell me you dressed like a cowboy."

Gideon stared at the ground, his ears turning red. "That's not the worst part. Imagine a fat little pale boy, stuffed into a baby blue suit. He has white hair, which is weird enough on its own—but he also wears his hair in a giant pompadour."

Lexie didn't say anything, so Gideon looked over at her. Her brow was furrowed, and she was opening and closing her mouth. Finally, she was able to speak.

"I…dude, I think you just gave me a stroke. Do you have pictures? Please tell me you have pictures!"

Gideon scowled. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry," said Lexie, sitting up straight and folding her hands primly in her lap. "Continue."

"So this enchanted bolo tie granted me telekinetic powers, among other things. With the tie and the couple spells I picked up from the journal, I was able to convince my parents that I had special abilities, so we opened up 'Lil Gideon's Tent of Telepathy.'"

"Yeesh," winced Lexie.

"Yeah, looking back, it was pretty cringe-worthy," said Gideon, nodding. "But it made people think I was special, and people would do whatever I wanted… I was something of a local celebrity." He sighed. "All the attention went to my fat head, but it wasn't good enough. I wanted more. I wanted to know secrets about people that nobody else knew… so I started handing out Lil Gideon pins that contained tiny hidden cameras."

Lexie raised her eyebrows and leaned back in her swing. "Dude, that was seriously not cool."

"Yes, I'm aware," said Gideon, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, I did lots of horrible things, but that was what got me sent to prison."

"Woah," said Lexie. "Hardcore."

"Anyway… the long and the short of it is that I was a terrible person," said Gideon. "I even summoned a demon who eventually tried to destroy the world—Bill Cipher. I know Dipper's told you that story."

"Yeah," said Lexie. "But he failed to mention you were the one who summoned him."

"Heh, yeah… Dipper is one of the best people I know," said Gideon. He looked at the ground, his cheeks pink. "He's seen me at my worst, but when I came back to Gravity Falls after my time at reform school, he welcomed me back with open arms, when no one else wanted anything to do with me. No questions asked. No grudge held. He introduced me to Pike, who started training me in how to use magic for non-evil purposes. He introduced me to you…" Gideon looked up at Lexie, whose face was unreadable. The pink tinge in his cheeks progressed to bright red, and he looked back down at his shoes. "Anyway… I owe Dipper a lot."

"Speaking of Dipper," said Lexie, "Did he ever tell you about how he met me?"

Gideon shook his head.

"Well," began Lexie, "I had recently been kicked out of yet another school, and my parents had no idea what to do with me. They decided to send me to live with my grandfather's pack, with the idea that it might be better, given my lack of self-control and violent tendencies, to be raised as a wolf, rather than a human."

"Oh honey, you were never _that bad_ , surely," said Gideon, a small grin forming on his lips.

Lexie looked at Gideon, with no hint of laughter on her features. "Gid, I was practically feral. I would attack anyone, at even the slightest _hint_ of provocation. I bit… let's just say there are at least seven more werewolves in the world now, thanks to my lack of self-control." She sighed. "It wasn't much better for those I fought without biting. I maimed this one girl so badly that she had to have reconstructive surgery on her face. She'd been a local beauty pageant queen. She was never the same."

Gideon whistled. "Sugar, I never knew." He reached out and gave her hand a squeeze.

Lexie smiled sadly. "My parents had all but given up on me. They were worried I'd end up killing someone outright. They told my granddad to assimilate me into his pack. Granddad didn't want that for me, though. He and Dipper go back a ways, apparently, so he asked Dipper to spend time with me that summer. Teach me 'how to human,' and how to control my baser impulses. Granddad said he wasn't worried about Dipper's safety with me, because he was capable of defending himself with rift magic. So that was that. I guess that would have been the summer before you came back from reform school, since I met you the following summer."

Gideon nodded. "So Dipper saved both of us, in a way. I just wish we could do more to help him with his current girl situation."

Lexie grinned. "Nah, he's good. Did you see him at lunch with them today? He was sitting between them, and I don't think they wanted anyone to see, but both Aurora and Wendy had a hand on each of his thighs. I think he's finally starting to enjoy his little harem now that they're not constantly at each other's throats."

Gideon looked skeptical. "You don't think the decision is weighing on him?"

Lexie shrugged. "Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But I'm staying out of it. Because if he doesn't just take them both like I suggested, the fallout from his eventual decision will be bad. I'll be here for him no matter what—but I am in no _freaking_ way going to get myself involved."

Gideon sighed, and got up off his swing, offering Lexie a hand up. "You're probably right. Come on, let's get going, sugar. Since you weren't planning on doing homework this afternoon anyway, before we go over to Dipper's house this evening, do you wanna hang out at my house and watch a movie or something?"

"Sure!" said Lexie brightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "And while I'm there, you can show me pictures of your 'evil piggie in a pompadour' stage!"

Gideon ran his hands through his now shoulder length, white locks. "I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?"

Lexie grinned, and reached out to ruffle Gideon's hair. "Oh, definitely not!"

/

Jessica Corduroy arrived home to a quiet house, which was not unusual, seeing as Wendy spent nearly every waking moment following Dipper around like a sad puppy. Pike's Jeep was parked out front, but that didn't necessarily mean he was home. He often went out into the woods to do some kind of mysterious "training" that he wouldn't go into detail about. Most likely magical training—after three years, he still didn't trust Jess around any kind of magic.

Jessica hung her handbag on a hook near the front door, and headed toward the kitchen to grab something to drink. As she walked into the room, she saw Pike standing in front of the sink, watching the water run out of the tap.

"Ollie? What are you doing?" Jessica asked. When he didn't answer, she walked up to him and touched his shoulder. He stiffened at her touch, and then slowly turned around. When Jessica saw his face, she screamed.

Pike's face was vacant, his mouth slightly open—and sand was pouring from his eyes.

Jessica quickly backed away. "Oh gods, Ollie…"

Pike's head lolled forward slightly, and he broke into an insane looking grin. When he spoke, his voice was not his own. It was a raspy, throaty growl that Jessica had heard once before, and thought she'd never have to hear again.

"Welcome home, Jessica. It's lovely to see you again after so long. You look well." The creature within Pike looked Jessica up and down, like he was appraising her worth.

"H-how?" stammered Jessica. "We—Ollie—banished you all those years ago. You were gone!"

Pike's possessor chuckled darkly. "Oh, my dear, you are so naïve, just like you were all those years ago. You had no idea—it was—always—you—" A pained look crossed Pike's face, as if he was trying to fight against the creature from the inside. His arms and hands were twitching.

"Ollie, can you hear me?" cried Jessica. "You can beat him—you've done it before! Please—"

" _ENOUGH_ ," shouted the creature. The spasms ceased. His face once again took on a malevolent, if slightly vacant, look. Sand was still pouring from his eyes. "I look forward to tonight, my dear. Once you fall asleep, you're on my turf. And your nightmare has only…just…begun."

With those last words, Pike's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

/

Dipper was feeling unusually tired after school, so he decided to go to his room and lie down for a while. Aurora and Wendy stayed downstairs, watching television from opposite ends of the couch. Pacifica and Mabel sat at the kitchen table, working on a project together—although they didn't seem too happy about it.

Dipper locked his door—didn't want any surprises like this morning—and undressed, climbing between his sheets in the buff, as had become his habit. He yawned, and rolled onto his side, hugging a pillow to himself.

It felt like he had only just closed his eyes, when he was suddenly jolted awake by his mattress shifting to accommodate the weight of another body. He made sure he was covered by the sheet, before sitting up slowly. Aurora sat on the edge of his bed, smiling seductively at him.

"Rora…w-what are you doing in here?" stammered Dipper. "Did-did you pick my lock?"

She grinned and nodded, holding up a hair pin.

"Why?" asked Dipper, clutching the sheet to his chest.

"Why?!" Aurora scoffed and rolled her eyes. She inched closer to him, running her hand up his sheet-covered leg. "Wendy told me she found out today that you've started sleeping in the nude," she purred, her hand homing in to its target. "I wanted to see for myself."

She brushed her hand lightly over the sheet covering Dipper's member, which twitched involuntarily. Dipper groaned.

"Mmmm," Aurora said, sighing wantonly. "The beast is awake. I wonder…does it want to play?"

"I told you," said a familiar, feminine voice, as she stepped out from her hiding spot behind Dipper's open bathroom door. "Didn't I tell you he was big?"

"Wendy?!" gasped Dipper. He looked from one girl to the other, expecting a fight to break out any moment.

"Aw, he's so cute when he panics," said Aurora.

As Wendy walked forward slowly, she began to disrobe. "And that dorky little deer-in-headlights look that he's doing… our little Dipper is so innocent." By the time she reached the end of Dipper's bed, Wendy was completely unclothed. Dipper wasn't able to speak. He continued to sit, hugging the sheet to himself, trembling.

"Don't you mean our _big_ Dipper?" asked Aurora, licking her lips. She stood up, and within seconds, was completely bare as well.

The two most beautiful women Dipper had ever seen; the only women he'd ever loved—both of whom he'd fantasized about frequently—stood side by side, in all their naked splendor, at the foot of his bed.

Dipper stared from one to the other. Both were perfection. His heart was pounding in his ears, and he began to feel a little lightheaded.

"Wh-why are you—what's going—I don't under—" he sputtered.

Aurora looked at Wendy, a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Do you wanna tell him?"

Wendy smiled and nodded. "Dipper, we both love you. We both want you. And we've both made you miserable, because we've been forcing you to choose between us." She paused, and Dipper stared at her expectantly, his mouth hanging slightly open. "So we talked today, and decided we're not going to make you choose. We want you to have us both."

Wendy glanced over at Aurora, who nodded back. They lifted up the sheet from the bottom of the bed, and both climbed under it, making their way up the bed, slowly, on all fours, until they were next to him; their soft, warm flesh pressed against Dipper on both sides. They finally poked their heads out from the top of the sheet, and threw it off the bed.

Dipper lay back, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He finally found his voice. "This—this isn't some kind of trick, right? You're not going to suddenly both hate me?"

"We could never hate you, Dipper," said Aurora, as she leaned into him and kissed him passionately, her firm breasts pushed up against him. The kiss lingered, one of her hands exploring his chest, while the other ran its fingers through his hair.

Dipper began to pull away, worried that Wendy would get jealous, when he felt a soft hand trail gently down his torso. Dipper moaned into Aurora's mouth, as he felt Wendy's hot breath, followed by tentative kisses placed just below his navel.

As the three lovers fell into a frenzy of passion, Dipper's last coherent thought was _This is almost too perfect to be true_.

/

Gideon and Lexie arrived at the Pines residence around six that evening. Aurora was in the kitchen, making dinner, while also refereeing the little spats that kept breaking out between Mabel and Pacifica, who were still working on their English project. Wendy sat in the living room, drawing in her sketchbook.

"Where's Dipper?" asked Gideon, flopping down on the loveseat.

Wendy looked up from her sketchbook. "He wasn't feeling the best, so he went to lie down for a while before supper."

"Will it bother you if we play video games?" asked Lexie, grabbing the controllers and turning on the television.

"Nah, knock yourselves out," said Wendy.

"Good," said Lexie with a cheeky grin. "If you said yes I was gonna suggest you go elsewhere."

Wendy rolled her eyes, and went back to her drawing.

Gideon sighed, as they began playing the player versus player fighting game that Lexie chose. "I don't know why I bother going up against you. I am horrible at this."

"Aw, don't be sad, Gid!" said Lexie, patting his cheek. "A good ass-whooping helps keep you down to earth. Plus, I get to express my pent up need for violence without actually hurting anyone."

"Yeah, when you put it like that," said Gideon, wincing as his character took massive damage, "feel free to give me a good video game ass-beating any time you please."

After several minutes, Wendy's phone trilled. She looked down at it, and furrowed her brow. "My mom's out front… says she needs help?"

Wendy jumped up and quickly crossed the room to the front door. When she opened it, she was greeted with the sight of her mother attempting to remove her uncle Ollie from the passenger side of his Jeep. Ollie appeared to be passed out.

"Mom, what the hell happened?" cried Wendy, rushing out to assist.

Jessica grunted. "We'll talk about it once we get him inside. He's…heavier than he looks."

Together, they managed to support Pike, one of them under each of his armpits, his feet dragging the ground behind them. Gideon held the door open for them.

They deposited Pike's limp form on the couch, and Jessica sank to the floor. She sat cross-legged, leaning up against the sofa near Pike's head.

Mabel, Pacifica, and Aurora, hearing the commotion, came into the living room to see what was going on.

"Alright, mom," said Wendy. "Spill it. What happened?"

Jessica sighed. "You know who the Sandman is, right? Supposedly he comes into people's rooms at night, and puts them to sleep by sprinkling sand into their eyes, which sends them off to dreamland." She paused and looked around the room. Everyone nodded at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, when Ollie, Dan, Jacob and I were kids, we found out that it isn't just one Sandman. There are many, all over the world. They exist everywhere. If you've ever had a really great dream that you can remember vividly after waking, you've most likely been visited by a Sandman."

"Uh, that's a little creepy," said Pacifica.

"They really aren't creepy," said Jessica, shaking her head. "Most work so subtly that you never know they've been there. Except for one. As kids, we met that one. He—I don't know—went rogue or something… started trapping people in their dreams, turning the dreams into nightmares. And then killing the people he'd trapped. We thought we had defeated him."

Wendy's face went white. She grabbed Pike's limp hand. "And Uncle Ollie is—"

"Trapped in his dreams, yes," confirmed Jessica.

Lexie crossed her arms. "How do you know this is the same one?" she asked.

Jessica clasped her hands together tightly. "When I got home after school, Ollie was standing in the kitchen. When he turned around, sand was pouring from his eyes, and he addressed me by name, said it was 'lovely to see me again.' And that voice. I'll never forget that voice. No, it's him. I'm absolutely sure of it."

"So how did you stop him last time?" asked Gideon, cocking his head to the side.

"That's the thing, I have no idea," said Jessica sadly. "Oliver figured out a way to stop him, and did it within his dreams. When he woke up he told us it was done—that the Sandman was gone—but he didn't want to talk about how he did it. The poor kid was terrified and exhausted, so we didn't press the issue." She hung her head. "Now I wish we had."

"So what do we do, then?" asked Mabel. "Just never sleep again?"

"I'll go brew a pot of coffee," said Aurora, turning back toward the kitchen.

Jessica looked around the room. "I was hoping Dipper would know something helpful, since he's worked so closely with Oliver. Where is Dipper?"

"He went upstairs when we got home to take…a…nap," said Mabel, the realization slowly dawning on her.

Wendy felt her throat constrict. She made eye contact with Aurora, who stood frozen in place, a look of horror on her face.

"Well, shit," said Lexie.

/

Wendy and Aurora started up the stairs to check on Dipper, when Jessica called for them to wait.

"Gideon, you know defensive magic, right?" she asked him. He nodded the affirmative. "Will you please go and check on Dipper? Sorry, girls, but this Sandman is able to possess people. I don't want any of us taking unnecessary risks."

"It's okay, Mrs. Corduroy," said Gideon, standing up off the loveseat. "I'll put a defensive barrier around myself as soon as I enter the room."

"Thank you, Gideon," said Jessica, as the white-haired youth started up the stairs.

Five minutes later, Gideon exited Dipper's room, and made his way back down to the living room. "The good news," he said, "is that the Sandman has not physically possessed Dipper like he did with Pike. The bad news, is that he's definitely trapped in his dreams. I tried everything I could think of to wake him up, including throwing water on his face. Nothing."

Aurora stifled a sob behind her hand, and sank down onto the loveseat. Mabel crossed the room to comfort her, while Wendy watched, her face stony.

"So what do we do now, mom?" asked Wendy. When Mrs. Corduroy didn't reply, Wendy looked over, to see her mother slumped back against the sofa, fast asleep. Wendy blinked, and noticed what looked like large motes of dust swirling through the room. She put two and two together.

"Everyone, close your eyes!" she cried. "Gideon, can you put defenses around us?"

"Sure can, sugar!" said Gideon, totally in his element. He stumbled to the center of the room with his eyes closed, and hit the ground with his fist, which sent a bubble of rose-colored energy out, clearing the sand from the air, while simultaneously enclosing the living room within the bubble.

"Okay," said Gideon. "It should be safe to open your eyes now. Everyone still with us?"

Aurora spoke up, her voice shaking. "It got Mabel."

Pacifica let out a cry of anguish, and raced to where Mabel was sitting limply on the loveseat beside Aurora, her head lolling back against the cushions. She shook her friend, and patted her face, but Mabel was out cold. Wordlessly, Aurora got up so that Pacifica could sit next to her best friend.

Lexie had been unusually quiet up to this point. She finally spoke up, asking the question that was on everyone's minds. "Well, now what?"

Everyone looked at each other helplessly. The only two people who had battled the Sandman before were already in his clutches, and Dipper, the one who usually took charge in situations like this, was out cold as well. Mabel, who usually tried her best to keep up everyone's spirits in the face of adversity, was snoring softly with her head of Pacifica's shoulder.

As the only magic user in the room, Gideon felt a weight of responsibility settle onto his shoulders. He looked down at the floor, and took a deep breath.

"I… I don't rightly know."

/

Jessica walked down Main Street in Gravity falls—not as it is currently, but as it was when she was a teenager. She looked down at herself, and recognized the body she used to have—before children and time had taken their toll on it.

"Is this the best you can do?" she shouted.

"Jess? Who are you talking to?" a fifteen-year-old Oliver Corduroy asked from behind her.

"Ollie? Is it really you?" asked Jessica. She walked up to him, and pressed a hand to his face. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What kind of question is that?" he asked, covering her hand with his. "Who else would I be?"

"A figment of my imagination," she said softly, pulling her hand away. "I'm dreaming right now, Ollie."

Oliver looked down at himself. "Damn, Jess. If you were going to fantasize about me, you could have at least made me buff or something."

Jessica shook her head sadly. "I never said it was a fantasy."

Oliver smiled up at Jess from beneath his lashes. "It could be." He stepped toward her, and pulled her against his body.

Jessica's heart fluttered.

"This could have been us," Pike whispered softly into her ear. "Before you chose Dan. Before you chose that damn rift magic, and let its power corrupt you. Before you did…certain things to me that made me never trust you again."

"I'm so sorry, Ollie," said Jessica, tears brimming in her eyes.

"This could still be us," he continued. "You don't need to go back to reality, Jess. Stay here with me, and we can shape this world in any way we want, just for us."

Jessica breathed in the familiar scent of her childhood best friend, a mixture of leather, motor oil, and pine needles. She rested her head against his chest, and heard the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She choked back a sob.

"I wish I could go back… change what I did… be a better person," she said, through tears. "But I can't." She backed away from Oliver, meeting his heartbroken gaze with one of her own. "I'm sorry, Ollie. But you're not real."

Oliver flickered out of existence, and in his place appeared the Sandman.

"Oh, that's so sweet," mocked the creature. "It's too bad that he doesn't have any idea how you felt about him—or even how he used to feel about you."

/

Mabel blinked, shielding her eyes from the brightness. Rainbows and glitter shimmered off every surface. The air smelled of cotton candy. 1980s dance music floated on the air. She was back in Mabel Land.

"Hi Mabel!" said an incredibly familiar voice. She turned to see her twelve-year-old self riding toward her on the back of a hippopotamus.

"Uh, hi…me," said Mabel, waving weakly.

"How's life in non-Mabel Land?" asked the small girl, giving older Mabel a cheesy, braces-filled grin.

"It's… it's been better," said Mabel, thinking of the mess she'd recently made of her relationship with Pacifica.

"Still screwing up every chance at love you've ever had, and pushing those you care about away from you?" asked the younger Mabel, brightly.

"I…what?"

"Oh, come on, Mabel," the younger girl said, waving her hand. "We both know you'll never find love. There is no way. For one, you're way too intense for most people."

"Shut up," said Mabel, covering her ears and blinking back tears.

"Aw, don't worry, sweetie," said the younger girl, her tone incredibly condescending. "You know, there is one person who gave you everything you ever wanted. One person who knows you better than anyone else—even _Dipper_."

"No," said Mabel, squeezing her eyes shut, her hands still clasped over her ears. "No, no, no, no!"

Mabel felt two warm hands grab hers, and yank them away from her ears. "Yes!" shouted a familiar, high pitched male voice.

Mabel opened her eyes, astonished to see standing before her a tall, handsome blond man in a bright yellow tuxedo, wearing a black eye patch and top hat.

"Hiya, Shooting Star!" he said cheerfully. "Like my meat suit?" He turned in a slow circle, so she could see him from every angle.

Young Mabel began to ride off on her hippopotamus, turning to shout "Have fun catching up!"

Mabel stared at the human Bill Cipher, unable to make words happen. Finally, she managed to squeak out "What?!"

"Geez, kid, did you lose your hearing?" asked Bill, grinning. "I said: 'Like my meat suit?' Seriously, how do I look? Is the tux too much? I thought it might be too much—but then I said, Bill, old boy, if you're going to play human, you might as well do it in style. Am I right?"

"How… how did… We erased my Grunkle's mind just to get rid of you. How are you here?!" Mabel asked, backing away from the demon.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! You're so cute when you're confused, Shooting Star," laughed Bill. "I'm not _that_ Bill Cipher—I'm _your_ Bill Cipher!"

Mabel wrinkled her nose, utterly befuddled.

"Look kid," said the handsome man, smiling, "If you haven't figured it out yet, you're dreaming. And me—well, I am made up of all the memories _you_ had of Bill Cipher. Turns out, you kind of liked him—me—huh?"

"That's not true," said Mabel, crossing her arms.

"OH, but it is!" said Bill. He tapped his head. "I'm made of your memories—and your emotions." He summoned a mirror, and admired himself in it. "I'm what you imagined a human Bill Cipher would look like, and I have to say—I like it." He grinned toothily at himself in the mirror.

Mabel frowned. "Look, what do you want?"

Bill reached out a hand, and grabbed Mabel's waist, and pulled her close.

"I want you, Shooting Star," he said, a fierce possessiveness in his soft voice. "I want you to stay here in Mabel Land, with me, and be my queen."

Mabel tried to push away from Bill, but his grip around her was too strong. "No! Let go of me!" she cried.

Bill's grip on her waist became even tighter, as he pressed her body against his. "You know I'm the only one who has ever played to your every whim—given you everything you ever wanted… you owe me this."

Tears began to spill down Mabel's cheeks. "I don't owe you anything! You're a demon! The only reason you gave me Mabel Land was to keep me out of your way!"

"Is it?" whispered Bill hotly into her ear. "Are you _sure_ that's the only reason I provided you your heart's every desire?" His grip on Mabel tightened to the point of pain. "Because I'm evil, Shooting Star. If I really wanted you out of the way, I could _easily_ have just killed you."

Mabel stopped resisting, and Bill loosened his grip a bit. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and looked up into his good eye. "You could have," she said slowly. She sniffed, and looked down, resting her forehead on his chest. "I don't understand…" She felt him place a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Don't worry, Shooting Star," said Bill softly. "I have an eternity to make you understand."

"Mabel!" a voice called in the distance.

Mabel's head shot up. She recognized that voice.

"Paz?" she said softly. She pushed away from Bill, and turned in the direction the voice came from.

"NO!" growled Bill. He grabbed Mabel's upper arm in a vice-like grip, and yanked her toward him. "You. Are. _Mine_."

"Ow!" cried Mabel. "Pacifica! Paz! Help me!"

"Mabel!" Pacifica's voice was louder, and more clear.

"PACIF—" Mabel's scream was cut off as Bill forced his mouth onto hers, in a rage-filled, powerful kiss, that bruised her lips.

With all the force she could muster, Mabel pushed away from Bill Cipher, and ran in the direction of Pacifica's voice.

/

Aurora paced back and forth across the length of the living room, anxious to get out of the bubble and up to Dipper. Wendy's eyes trailed her, from her spot on the floor in front of the couch, next to her sleeping mother and uncle.

"Aurora, pacing isn't going to do anything but make you tired faster," Wendy pointed out.

Aurora opened her mouth to object, and then thought better of it. She sat down next to Wendy, hugging her knees.

"How can you remain so calm, Wendy?" Aurora asked. "Dipper is in danger!"

Wendy shrugged. "So are my mom and uncle," she said, gesturing to them. "Freaking out without a plan does absolutely no good to anyone."

"But—but what if something happens to Dipper in his dreams?" asked Aurora, her chin trembling. "He's trapped in his head by a monster that _kills_ people, Wendy!"

Wendy ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about how to word her response. Finally, she said, "Aurora, fighting monsters and protecting Gravity Falls is kind of Dipper's job, remember? The whole Star Child dealie with the rift magic and whatnot? Do you get like this every time something dangerous pops up that he has to deal with? I mean, come on—he's been through worse."

Aurora sniffed and fiddled with a shoelace. "It's different since you've been back…"

Wendy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "This again, really?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," said Aurora, putting a hand on Wendy's forearm. "It's just, with our bond, I always knew exactly what was going on with Dipper, and how much danger he was really in. Now, with things…complicated…like they are, he hasn't given me permission to access his mind again. I could try to force it, but not only would that be a violation of his privacy and his trust, but depending on the mental barriers he's put up against me, I could accidently harm his mind if I pried."

"I have to admit," said Wendy, "I'm pretty jealous of the mental bond you have with Dipper." She paused, and took a deep breath. "I want you to try and contact him."

Aurora looked at Wendy, her eyes wide with shock. "Why would you suggest that?"

"Because," said Wendy, "if there is a possibility that Dipper knows he's dreaming, he could very well have dropped his mental barriers so you could reach him. I mean…don't pry to the point you could hurt him," she continued. "If you feel his barriers still up, then immediately back off. But when we have such a useful power on our side, it seems dumb not to at least try and utilize it, no?"

Aurora smiled, and reached out to squeeze Wendy's hand. "Okay," she said simply.

Wendy watched with interest as Aurora shifted to a cross legged position on the floor, letting her hands rest on her knees. She breathed in slowly through her nose, and out through her mouth. She closed her eyes.

 _Dipper?_

Suddenly, a wave of pain washed over Aurora. It was so intense, it made her clutch her chest.

 _Despair. Longing. Hopelessness. She wanted to give up—there was no point to anything if she couldn't be with the only boy who'd ever loved her, and who she'd loved in return. She loved him with a fierceness that she couldn't put into words. But he loved someone else. Laid in her arms, and sought the comfort of the other's body. Brokenness. Betrayal. Abandonment. With him, it felt like being home. He was her light, and her best friend. Why did he betray her? Why?_

Aurora closed off her mind. The intensity was gone, but the feelings of loss and betrayal lingered in the pit of her stomach. She doubled over, held her fist to her mouth, and sobbed openly. She felt someone else's heartbreak, and cried someone else's tears. She had forgotten that as Dipper's mate, Wendy's mind was open to her as well.

/

Ollie ran through the woods, tripping over brush, and being smacked in the face by low-hanging branches. He could see it, just ahead. The treehouse. He made a dash for it, and began climbing the knobby trunk.

As the heartbeat pounding in his ears began to quiet, he could hear the creature stomping through the undergrowth, calling out to him.

"Olllllllie! I know you're out here! There's no point in running, little Oliver! You can't escape me!"

Oliver reached the treehouse, and pushed the door open. He sighed, his thin shoulders drooping in his too-big sweater. Through the door to the treehouse, he didn't see the familiar interior of his childhood getaway—he saw a high school gymnasium on fire. A vampire burst through a wall of flames, made eye contact with Oliver, and ran toward him, arms outstretched, with a maniacal grin on its face.

"Nope," said Oliver, slamming the door shut. He shimmied down the tree trunk, but when his feet touched the ground, he was no longer in the forest, but on Main Street of Gravity Falls, how it had appeared when he was a teen. He looked down and realized that he was no longer his childhood self, but his teen self. He wore a comfortably worn-in leather jacket over his green flannel shirt, with jeans and combat boots.

"Olllllliver, my boy, now where have you gotten off to now?" called out the Sandman in the distance.

"It's Pike now," mumbled the more grown-up Oliver to no one in particular. He sighed, and looked around for somewhere to hide. Greasy's Diner was nearby, and seemed as good a place as any. He jogged to the door and pulled it open, hoping he wouldn't be greeted with more of the numerous monsters he'd fought over the years.

Thankfully, the interior matched its exterior. The only difference was that against the far wall, the door that normally had the word "Restroom" painted on its wooden surface was now a large iron double door, chained and padlocked shut. Pike walked up to it, touched the padlock, and rested his forehead against the cold iron. He heard the girl's laughter echo through the door again. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lightly banged his forehead against the door.

"No," he said softly, but firmly. "He's not going to get in."

Pike's shoulder's tensed up, as he heard the door to the diner creak open behind him.

"Piss off," he said angrily. "I told you, you will _never_ get in here."

"Ollie?" spoke a familiar, feminine voice. "Is that really you this time?"

Pike whirled around. "Jess?" She looked just like she had in high school. Was she another bad memory?

Innocent laughter echoed once again through the padlocked door, and the singsong voices of a young boy and girl floated through the air. Jessica raised an eyebrow, and crossed the room. She reached out to touch the door, but stopped, when she saw the hatred on Pike's face.

"What's behind the door?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," said Pike, his voice low. "It is staying locked."

"Ollie… who do you think you're talking to?" asked Jessica.

"Either the Sandman in disguise, or a bad memory," spat Pike. To his surprise, at his answer she threw herself at him, hugging him so tightly that he couldn't breathe.

"It really is you," she murmured into his shoulder.

"Jess," wheezed Pike. "Air…"

"Sorry," she said, blushing as she let him go. "Ollie, the Sandman has Dipper."

"Fuck."

/

Mabel ran blindly through Mabel Land, swatting balloons and streamers out of her way. She rubbed at her eyes furiously—they were burning because of the amount of glitter in the air, and because she was crying.

"You are MINE Shooting Star!" Bill Cipher screamed from behind her. "Gah! Why is this _stupid_ meat puppet so slow?!"

"Mabel, please come back!" Pacifica's voice called from the distance.

"Paz! Where are you? I don't see you!" Mabel sobbed.

"SHOOTING STAR, IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU I WILL END YOU!" boomed Bill's voice, as he closed in on Mabel.

"No!" cried Mabel, nearly tripping over the stuffed animals lining the path. "Paz, please! Help me!"

"I'm sorry, Mabel," said Pacifica. It sounded like she was crying. "I—I don't have a girlfriend. I lied to make you jealous… You always had some unattainable crush, and I was right there, the whole time, wanting you. I…I love you, Mabel."

Before Mabel had a chance to comprehend what she'd just heard Pacifica say, she began levitating, floating up and away from Mabel Land.

"NO!" screamed Bill, jumping as high as he could, his fingers lightly brushing Mabel's foot as she was spirited away from her prison. "YOU WERE MINE!"

Mabel's heart was pounding, as she floated further up through the pink sky, toward an impossibly bright sun. She felt its warmth on her face. Her lips felt especially warm.

/

Mabel's eyes jerked open, only to realize that the warmth she felt on her lips came from Pacifica's lips. Her best friend was kissing her, and crying.

Mabel's heart began pounding furiously, and she lifted her arms to embrace Pacifica, running her fingers through Paz's short, blond hair. Pacifica gasped against Mabel's mouth and started to pull away, but Mabel pulled her back, and gave her the passionate kiss she'd been longing for—one that was reciprocated.

"I love you, Paz," whispered Mabel against Pacifica's soft mouth.

Someone in the room coughed uncomfortably, bringing Mabel back to reality.

"So…" said Lexie, awkwardly. "That happened."

/

"So how do we find Dipper?" asked Jess, as she and Pike snuck out the back of Greasy's Diner.

"Well, you found me—how'd you do that?" asked Pike. He motioned for Jessica to stop, as he peered around the corner of the diner.

"I don't know, you were just here," said Jessica, as he waved her forward.

"Well, this is a place we're both very familiar with. Dipper is probably somewhere very familiar to him," suggested Pike, as they darted into the cover of the woods.

"His house?" said Jessica.

Pike nodded. "Let's go see."

They made it through the woods and to the Pines' residence with no interference from the Sandman.

Pike furrowed his brow. "This seems too easy," he said, as they entered the house.

There was a thumping noise coming from upstairs, so they made their way up. As he reached the top step, Pike threw out an arm to stop Jessica from climbing any further.

"Oh gods," he mumbled, closing his eyes and turning his head away.

"What?" asked Jessica. She pushed at his arm to try and get past him.

"You really don't want to see this, Jess."

"Pike, you forget who you're talking to," said Jessica stubbornly. "The things I've seen—whatever this is, it won't phase me."

Pike uttered a noncommittal grunt, as Jessica forced her way past him.

"Now what's so—OH! Oh, that's…oh…" Jessica grimaced and turned to look at Pike, her cheeks a flaming shade of crimson.

Instead of a wall where Dipper's door usually stood, it appeared that they were looking into Dipper's bedroom by way of a massive two-way-mirror.

Dipper was in the throes of passion with both Aurora and Wendy, their sweaty, naked bodies intertwined and writhing on Dipper's bed. The thumping they'd heard downstairs was the bed knocking against the wall. Thankfully, they couldn't hear anything else coming from the room, because it looked like it was probably loud.

A deep chuckle resonated through the stairwell, as the Sandman materialized at the top of the steps. "Oh, young love," he rasped. "Beautiful, is it not?"

Pike glared at the creature, clenching his fists. "Make. It. Stop."

"What's that?" asked the Sandman, cupping his hand against his ear. "You want me to unmute it? With pleasure!"

The air was suddenly filled with the girls' moans of pleasure, Dipper's grunting, and heavy breathing.

"Make it stop!" cried Jessica, holding her hands over her ears.

Dipper heard her. His head shot up, eyes wide, cheeks pink from exertion. "What the _fuck_?" he yelled, as Wendy and Aurora disappeared, and he was left naked, in bed, in front of Pike, Jessica, and the Sandman, all of whom he could now see.

"That was some dream you were having, young man," said the Sandman, an evil grin splitting his face. "I didn't even know some of those positions were possible!"

"Dream…? Who the _fuck_ are you?" Dipper growled, his eyes beginning to glow silver. He closed them, and when he opened them, he was clothed.

"I am the Sandman," said the creature, holding out his hand to shake. Dipper stared at him, hatred etched on his features. He turned to Pike and Jessica, neither of whom could look him in the eye.

"Care to explain?" he spat.

Pike shoved his hands in his pockets, and stared at the floor as he spoke. "He's a rogue dream spirit, who traps people in their dreams and kills them."

"We thought we defeated him once already, when we were kids," added Jessica, who was concentrating very hard on the wood grain of the floorboards.

"Oh," said Dipper, his voice void of any emotion. "Good to know." He turned to the Sandman. "What do you want? If you haven't killed us, I'm assuming you have a reason."

"Simple," said the Sandman, pleasantly. "I know the power you wield, Star Child. If you give me your honor-bound word that you will summon me to the physical plane, I will release you and your friends from their dreams, instead of killing you all in the most horrible ways imaginable."

Dipper crossed his arms. "Summon you to the physical plane so you can terrorize and kill people without having to do it from within their dreams, I'm guessing." The Sandman opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Dipper shrugged, and said "Okay."

"What?!" shouted Pike. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Dipper?"

"Please," cried Jessica, "Don't do it, Dipper! He could hurt Wendy…or Aurora!"

Dipper's eyes flashed silver. "Whatever," he said, and reached out to shake the Sandman's hand.

"NO!" cried Pike. He leapt toward Dipper, but it was too late.

As Dipper shook the Sandman's hand, he smiled at Pike, his eyes bright silver.

/

Pike and Jessica both gasped and sat up at the same time.

"Heavens to Betsy, thank goodness you're awake!" cried Gideon. He snapped his fingers, and the pink force bubble around the living room burst, filling the air with the scent of roses.

"Dipper?" Pike asked, looking at Jessica.

"His room," she replied quickly.

They both stood and rushed to the staircase. Dipper was already standing at the top. He casually walked down the steps, looking at his feet.

"Dipper, you're okay!" cried Aurora, racing over to intercept him. Wendy jumped up to greet him as well.

"No," said Jessica, putting out an arm to stop the girls. "Dipper's…not himself right now."

"What the hell is wrong with you, kid?" Pike shouted. He grabbed Dipper by the shoulders, as Dipper stepped off the stairs. Dipper stopped, and slowly looked at the hands on each of his shoulders, then up into Pike's face. His eyes flashed silver for a moment, before reverting to their normal brown.

"Let go of me," said Dipper, his voice soft and deliberate.

Pike swallowed, and dropped his hands. He'd never seen such a quiet rage before, and it was unsettling, to say the least.

"Gideon."

"…Yeah, honey?" the white-haired teen said hesitantly.

"I'm going to summon the Sandman." Dipper heard a few gasps, but paid them no mind. "As soon as I do, I need you to bubble him, okay? Just him. The smallest, but strongest containment you can manage. Can you do that for me?"

Gideon nodded mutely.

Dipper stood in the center of the room. He looked around at his friends. "You should probably get out of the way."

Everyone but Dipper, Gideon, and Pike crowded into the back corner of the room.

"Ready?" he asked Gideon.

"No, but go ahead anyway," replied Gideon.

Dipper nodded. He knelt down in the center of the room, and placed his left fist on the floor. The windows rattled, and the floor vibrated, as Dipper twisted his fist, and then slowly stood up and backed away. The air pressure suddenly changed in the room, causing everyone's ears to pop. There he stood, in a horrifyingly scarred, physical body—the Sandman.

"Now, Gid," said Dipper.

A force field, looking very much like a pink bell jar, formed around the monster.

"What?! What is this?" screeched the monster, throwing himself at his confinement, but having no effect on it.

Dipper smiled malevolently at the Sandman, his eyes blazing silver. "I've decided I don't like you, so I'm going to kill you now, 'kay?"

"We had a deal!" screamed the Sandman.

Dipper laughed. "I forgot to tell you—I don't make deals with demons."

He summoned silver rift fire around his left hand and arm, balled up his fist, and rammed it through Gideon's force field, so it was enclosed with the monster. He closed his eyes, and with a loud explosion and a pink-tinted silver flash, the Sandman was disintegrated.

Dipper nodded at Gideon, and the force field collapsed, the smell of burnt roses wafting around the room.

Nobody said a word. This was a side of Dipper that none of them, not even Gideon, had ever seen before.

Mabel finally spoke up. "You alright, bro-bro?" she asked, her voice small. Dipper ignored her, and turned on Pike.

"So you thought you defeated the Sandman when you were kids, huh?" He looked at Jessica. "That's what you said, right? Tell me, did you _see_ Pike defeat the Sandman? Did he tell you _how_ he did it?"

"Well, no, but he was a terrified little kid," said Jessica. "Dipper, what's wrong?"

Dipper ignored the question. "Okay, so a terrified little kid was able to take down a rogue, evil, killer sandman all by himself? You didn't think that was a little strange?"

Pike frowned. "Dipper, what are you getting at?"

Dipper stared at Pike for several seconds, his face stony. "You keep secrets." Dipper glanced at Wendy and Jessica, then back to Pike. "And somehow, you always manage to save the day—yet nobody ever actually sees you do it. Weird, huh?"

"Dipper…" growled Pike, his voice dangerously low.

"No, hear me out," said Dipper, crossing his arms. His eyes flickered silver for a split second. "You aren't a 'chosen one,' Pike. You don't have a capital d Destiny. Someone like you shouldn't be able to do _half_ the stuff you do. But I think I've got you figured out."

Pike glowered at Dipper. "Oh really? Enlighten me."

"I think," said Dipper smugly, "that you make deals with demons."

Pike glared at Dipper, nostrils flared, jaw clenched. The room was silent, and the tension palpable.

"If that's what you think about me," Pike uttered finally, "then I have nothing more to teach you. Goodbye, Dipper."

With that, Pike walked out into the night, slamming the door behind him.

Everyone was staring at Dipper like he'd grown an extra head. Even Wendy and Aurora seemed scared to approach him.

"Dude," said Lexie, the first to break the silence. "So, this is really awkward. I'm gonna go. C'mon Gid," she muttered, grabbing Gideon's hand, and leading him toward the door.

Dipper scowled at Mabel, Pacifica, Aurora, Wendy and Jessica. "My nap today wasn't particularly restful," he said finally. "I'm going to bed." As he turned and headed back up the stairs, nobody said goodnight.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 18: Dipper The Barbarian

/

This are getting a little intense…and I hate to do this but I'm going to have to take a small hiatus (just an extra week or two) to make sure that the twists and the turns that you guys love so much are fully thought out and realized. Thanks for coming back and continuing to read, I really appreciate it.

 **SHOUTOUTS! fereality, NecroticHate, Dexay, LimboticMistisos, MorgothII, scroghmc, NyaNyaKittyFace,** and **Durk.** Thanks for being awesome!

 **Geekngroom** , thanks for being the best muse ever. This only keeps getting finished cause you keep me going.


	19. Dipper The Barbarian

Chapter Nineteen

Dipper The Barbarian

There was a hint of autumn in the air, as a crisp breeze tossed about the first brightly colored fallen leaves of the season, carrying with it the scents of apple cider and cinnamon. Gravel crunched underfoot, as Mabel Pines and Pacifica Northwest, finally a couple after so many years, walked hand-in-hand through the maze of stalls at the Gravity Falls Outdoor Flea Market. Both girls wore radiant smiles, as they spent their Saturday morning perusing booths of antiques, vintage vinyl collections, and tchotchkes fit only for a grandmother's bathroom.

Although Mabel was happy to be spending the morning with her girlfriend, worry about her brother kept pinging the back of her mind. Two weeks had passed since Dipper had obliterated the Sandman, and alienated his friend and mentor, Pike. Before the Sandman had trapped Dipper in his own dream, the teen had been awkward and a bit short with his friends, due to complications in his love life. However, being trapped in his dream seemed to have snapped something in Dipper, because his behavior was much more erratic, and his moods surlier and darker now than they had been prior to his encounter with the Sandman. Mabel felt like she had to walk on eggshells around him, to avoid setting off one of his rages. Whenever he got too angry anymore, his eyes would start to flash silver, which Mabel, as well as the rest of their friends, found terrifying.

Only Pike, and Wendy's mom, Jessica, had encountered Dipper and the Sandman in his dream. Mabel, Gideon, Aurora and Wendy tried convincing the two adults to explain what had happened in Dipper's dream that had caused his personality to change so drastically, but Pike refused to talk to any of their group but Wendy, and he would simply get up and leave the room if she brought Dipper or his dream up. Jessica's face would go crimson, and she'd clam up, unable to make eye contact with anyone until the subject was changed. Clearly, whatever had happened in Dipper's dream must have been bad.

Mabel sighed, as she glanced at a display of sand art. Pacifica gave her hand a squeeze.

"What's wrong Mabes?" asked Pacifica. "I thought you were having fun."

"Oh, I am, I really am—I promise!" said Mabel, squeezing Pacifica's hand back, her grin not quite reaching her eyes.

"Then what's with the sudden bout of sighing?" asked Pacifica, turning to Mabel and brushing a strand of hair out of the brunette's face.

"It's Dipper," said Mabel quietly. Then she let out a short laugh. "Isn't it always Dipper?"

Pacifica turned away, smiling warmly. "Most of the time, these days, yeah."

The pair continued to walk hand-in-hand, in silence, until Mabel finally spoke again.

"It's just, I don't know what to do anymore, and that scares me, Paz. We're twins—I've always known how to help him—and he's always let me." She paused to take a shuddering breath, trying to maintain her composure. "Now if I try to talk to him about what's wrong, or how I can help, he gets mad at me."

"Maybe you should stop trying to be his therapist, and just be there for him," said Pacifica, sagely. "Do things to let him know you care and are thinking about him without forcing conversation. Get him a present or something."

Mabel stopped in her tracks, and turned to Pacifica, her brown eyes bright. "Paz, you're a freaking genius!" she said throwing her arms around her girlfriend. "When did you get so good at the whole 'interpersonal relationships' thing, anyway?"

"Oh, you know, I've had a lot of time to observe the expert," said Pacifica with a grin, poking Mabel in the ribs.

Mabel laughed, and started looking around at the surrounding booths, giddy with excitement at the prospect of making her brother happy.

"Hey, look over at that booth," Pacifica said, pointing to a booth manned by an ancient-looking, stooped man, who was fiddling with a puzzle box. "It looks like that booth has lots of dork stuff. Your brother is totally into dork stuff, still, right?"

"Well, before all the craziness of the past few weeks, he was," said Mabel, shrugging her shoulders. "C'mon, let's see if we can find Dipper the perfect dork present."

The girls approached the booth, which displayed decorative swords and daggers, as well as a full suit of armor. There were also a few vintage board games and card games laid out. The elderly man standing behind the counter nodded to them, and continued to fidget with his puzzle box, occasionally swiping and pressing buttons on the screen of a small tablet set in front of him.

"I don't know, Paz," said Mabel skeptically. "I think Dip would like some of this stuff, but I don't know if any of it would be special enough to help pull him out of his funk."

"Doesn't your brother play this card game with the monsters and stuff?" asked Pacifica, holding up a tattered pack of cards labelled "Magic in the Mists."

Mabel laughed. "That does look like something he'd play, but I don't think so. You're thinking of that… Dungeons…something something game."

The old man's head popped up excitedly at Mabel's words. "Do you mean, Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, by chance?" he rasped.

"Yeah, that's it!" said Mabel. "My brother loves that game."

The wizened man's face split into a huge grin. "It just so happens that I have a vintage copy of D, D & MD for sale, to the right individual." He reached down below the counter, and when he came back up, he was holding a box that had seen better days, covered in stylized dragons, elves, and wizards.

Mabel frowned. "It looks like it's kind of in bad shape," she said. "What do you think, Paz?"

Pacifica shrugged. "It does look a bit rough," she agreed.

The old man pouted slightly. "Well, you see girls, it has just been very well loved. I promise you, if your brother is indeed a fan of D, D & MD, he will be able to see the true worth of this game. It will draw him in like no game ever has before."

"Mmmm…" Mabel hummed and bit her lip. "Will you take five dollars for it?"

The man looked down at his tablet, swiping at the screen too quickly for the girls to see what he was doing. Probably calculations, thought Mabel. Finally, he looked up from his tablet and sighed.

"I cannot take less than fifteen dollars, if I am to make any kind of profit," he said, his voice filled with regret.

"Fifteen?!" said Mabel. "Look, I'll go as high as ten, but nothing more."

"Twelve, and I'll throw in this puzzle box to sweeten the deal," said the old man quickly, setting the box he'd been fidgeting with on top of the counter.

"Deal," said Mabel, grinning. She fished in her wallet, and brought out the money, while the vendor placed the game and puzzle box carefully in a bag.

As she traded him the cash for the bag, the ancient, stooped man winked at her.

"I guarantee you, your brother has never been sucked into a game of D, D & MD before like he will when he plays this one! Oh, and good luck solving that puzzle box—I've been trying to get it open for _years_!"

Mabel smiled at the man, and she and Pacifica turned to make their way back to the parking lot.

"Where'd you learn to haggle like that?" asked Pacifica. She was in awe, because she'd always just paid the sticker price for anything she wanted.

"You learn a lot about how to stretch a dollar when you live with Grunkle Stan for a while," said Mabel, with pride. "I hope Dipper likes his present. Maybe the dorkiness of it all will change him back into my normal, dork brother."

Pacifica leaned in and gave Mabel a kiss on the cheek. "We can only hope."

/

Saturday mornings used to be reserved for training Dipper and Gideon. Although Gideon hadn't accused Pike of dealing with demons as Dipper had, Pike had decided to just wash his hands of all of them. Now Saturday mornings were reserved for sitting in the living room with the curtains drawn, drinking whiskey straight from the bottle, and flipping channels on the television.

 _It's not like I'm going to be needing my liver much longer anyway_ , mused Pike, as he drained the dregs from his bottle, and stood up off the sofa to grab another bottle from the liquor cabinet. He wobbled slightly and grinned. It took a lot of alcohol to make him unsteady. He hadn't let himself drink this much in a long time. Opening the liquor cabinet, he cursed. He was on his last bottle. He grabbed it, and teetered back to the sofa, grunting as he sank back down onto the familiar red, plaid cushions.

All the curtains in the living room suddenly sprang open, flooding the room with sharp morning sunlight.

"Gah! What the actual _fuck_?!" cried Pike, throwing an arm over his burning eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh Oliver," said a soothing, young female voice. "Are you trying to avoid your final confrontation with the Powers by killing yourself with alcohol poisoning?"

Pike smiled and took a sip of whiskey, his other arm still shielding his eyes. "That wasn' my intention," he slurred slightly, "but tha's actually a good idea."

The sofa cushions shifted, as if someone the size of a small child had sat down next to Pike. He felt a small, cool hand tug at the arm covering his eyes.

"Whaaaaaaat?" he whined, as he lowered his arm and looked at Nimueh, the First Good. She was the exact opposite of her sister. Where Darquesse, the First Evil was darkness, smoke, oil, and shadow, Nimueh was light, fresh air, laughter, and sunshine. She once again took the form of a young girl, all blue eyes and blonde curls.

"You know you must choose, Oliver," she said somberly, her eyes wide, conveying innocence.

"Nah," grunted Pike, waving his hand at her.

Nimueh caught his large hand between her tiny ones, grasping it tightly. "You would _really_ rather face destruction at the hands of the Powers, than join me, and be a champion of good?"

"If I were to side with you," said Pike, as he pulled his hand out of her grasp, and placed it on the back of her neck, "and be _your_ Champion— you'd have me head a crusade agains' anything or any _one_ you consider the leas' bit evil, and slay all who oppose you, am I right?"

Nimueh's pupils dilated at the mention of a crusade. Her blonde curls scattered as she nodded her head fervently.

"Yes," she breathed. "The bringer of my Wrath, and the dispenser of my Justice—you'd be my white knight, the general of my armies—together, none would dare oppose us!"

"Oh, come _on_ , sister," said an exasperated, throaty voice, as the curtains snapped shut once again, casting the room into sudden darkness. "You are no better than me! Worse, even!"

Glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows, and a twisting, amorphously feminine shape stepped forward. Darquesse climbed onto the sofa next to Pike, and knelt, leaning up against him so she could whisper in his ear.

"She wants you to kill for her—to slay those she considers 'unworthy,'" the demoness said softly, her hot breath tickling Pike's neck. "I wonder? How many of your friends would be on that long, long list?"

Pike sighed and leaned forward, setting his whiskey down on the coffee table. As he sat back, he put his hand on the back of Darquesse's head, softly smoothing down her greasy, black hair, grimacing internally.

"So if I chose you, I wouldn' be killing for your cause?" Pike asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no, you'd kill those that refused my corruption," she purred. "But who would refuse, when my corruption is soooo much more fun than being good?" As she said this she put a hand on Pike's knee, and trailed it up his thigh. "Oh, and of course, I would personally guarantee the safety of _all_ of your loved ones."

Pike had felt Nimueh's neck tense up while her sister was talking. The First Good scoffed, her pink cheeks brightening.

"Of course, I would grant exceptions, and pardon your loved ones," she said quickly. "I wouldn't even expect you to kill Jessica—although she deserves it."

Pike closed his eyes for a moment. _Why would she even mention Jess and_ my _loved ones in the same sentence?_ Suddenly, the chained door from his dream intruded into his mind's eye. He was startled to realize that a large crack had formed in the door, allowing white light to spill through from behind. He shook his head to clear the image from it, and opened his eyes.

Pike chuckled darkly, glancing first at Nimueh, and then at Darquesse. "Both offers are temptin', but I've made my deshision."

Both of the Firsts leaned toward Pike in anticipation. With his hands still on the back of Nimueh's neck, and Darquesse's greasy head, he scooted back in his seat a bit, and then thrust the two together as hard as possible, their skulls colliding with a resounding crack. Both of them shrieked and staggered back, clutching their foreheads.

"My decision," he said, his voice low and cold, without any trace of slurred speech, "is no. Fuck you both. I will not be a pawn in your games."

Darquesse's eyes glowed red, as a black, tar-like substance dripped from them. Her constantly morphing features had one thing in common—they were all twisted in an animalistic rage. "You will regret your impertinence, _Oliver_ ," she spat. "I will not give you another chance to join with me. The Powers will kill you, and I will be there, watching, and cheering them on." She turned on her heel, and was gone.

Pike glanced down at the floor, where Nimueh had landed after he'd knocked her head against her sister's. The little blonde girl stared up at him, her lower lip quivering, and her wide, blue eyes brimming with tears. A large purple knot had formed on her forehead.

"Oh for fuck's sake," said Pike, sneering at her. "You're millions of years old, or some shit. I'm not going to feel bad just because you look like a five-year-old."

Nimueh's eyes narrowed, and she smiled coldly. "Smart boy. Well, maybe not that smart. You've made enemies of both me _and_ my sister. Had you allied with one of us, you could have had protection from whatever it is the Powers are planning for you. And that protection would have extended to your friends and loved ones." She stood and patted him on the cheek, her hand like ice. "Who is going to protect them—protect Jessica—when you're dead?"

The dream door once again flashed into Pike's mind's eye, the crack widening, and the chains corroding. Along with the bright white light, he heard the laughter of young children. Pike rubbed his eyes, and when he looked up again, the First Good was gone.

"What is their obsession with Jess?" he thought out loud, as he picked his bottle of whiskey back up off the coffee table and chugged half of it, allowing his drunken buzz to once again make his mind feel fuzzy. "Jess is a big girl—she can take care of herself."

"What's that about me being big?"

Pike jumped. Jessica had just come inside after going for a late morning jog. She walked around the sofa, her raven hair swept up in a ponytail, sweat glistening on her skin.

"And who were you talking to?" she asked, glancing around the room. "There's no one here."

Pike grinned, and tapped his head. "Oh, you know, jus' my demons." He lifted the bottle to his lips for another gulp of whiskey, but Jessica yanked it out of his hand.

"Heeeey, give it back!" whined Pike, reaching after Jessica, who had crossed the room to put the whiskey back in the liquor cabinet. "It's my preciousssss!"

"Oh my God, Ollie!" cried Jessica, as she saw the sad emptiness of the cabinet. She slammed the bottle down and whipped around. "You drank like four bottles of liquor so far today, and it's only ten in the morning! Are you trying to give yourself alcohol poisoning?"

"You're the secon' person to ask me tha' today," said Pike, pouting. "I know my limits."

" _Clearly_ you don't," spat Jessica. "Am I going to have to take you to the hospital?"

Pike crossed his arms, looking very much like the stubborn boy Jessica had known in her youth. "No, I don'." He paused. "I mean you don'. Have to take me to the hospipal. No. I don' like hospistals."

Pike attempted to stand up off the sofa, but the room tilted and made a sharp left turn, toppling him back onto his seat. He was angry with himself. Mentally—logically, he knew he stupidly drank too much. He hadn't been this drunk in years. He felt like he was thinking clearly, but he was having trouble expressing his thoughts, and controlling his body.

"Ollie, sweetie, I'm worried about you," said Jess, sitting down next to him, placing her hand on his knee. He looked at the concern on her face, and felt bad. He wanted to apologize for getting too drunk. That is not what came out his mouth, however.

"Your face is shiny," he said, his eyes focusing somewhere over her right shoulder. He reached out to touch her face, but was off his mark by about six inches. "Pretty," he mumbled.

Jessica grabbed Pike's hand that was groping for her face in the air, and held it. "Ollie, is this still about Dipper? About what he accused you of?" She paused, hesitating. "And the chained door in your dreams?"

Pike desperately wanted to articulate his feelings of betrayal in regards to Dipper, but all he was able to put into words was "Dipper's wrong abou' me, y' know."

Jessica lightly rubbed her thumb over the back of Pike's hand. "I know," she said quietly.

"I don' wan' the door to open," said Pike absently, his eyelids beginning to droop. He scooted closer to Jessica, curling up against her. "Have to… have to protect…" He laid his head on Jessica's shoulder, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck. "Protect…" he murmured.

Jessica sat completely still, shocked at Pike's sudden urge to cuddle—especially when she knew that he didn't trust her, and still hated her for what she did to him.

"Protect what, Ollie?" she asked gently, afraid to spook him. She missed this closeness with Oliver. She hadn't gotten to experience it since before she married his brother. It felt almost like they were friends again, huddled together in a pillow fort. Jessica smiled sadly. "Protect what?"

Pike's answer was a soft snore.

/

Saturday mornings at the Pines house were usually not so awkward. Mabel had already left with Pacifica, and Aurora was downstairs eating breakfast when Wendy arrived at the same time as Gideon and Lexie.

"So, is Dipper still in bed?" asked Wendy.

"Probably," said Aurora, shrugging. She took a bite of cereal, and chewed it, before continuing. "I'm not about to try and wake him up. Besides, he's started padlocking his door from the inside at night."

"Now why on earth would he do that?" asked Gideon.

Wendy turned scarlet. "I have no idea, that's so weird, right?" she said quickly. Lexie looked at her sidelong and grinned knowingly.

Seeing Lexie's grin, Gideon was even more confused. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, giving Wendy an obvious wink. "I'll go knock on his door. I'm not afraid of the wrath of Dipper. He gets out of hand, I'll just bite him."

Aurora rolled her eyes, and went back to eating her cereal, while Gideon opened the fridge to get himself a glass of juice. Wendy followed Lexie to the base of the stairs.

"What did Dipper tell you?" she whispered, angrily.

Lexie smiled. "He didn't tell me nothin'. Your face told me."

Wendy's face was redder than her hair. "Just…don't barge in, okay?"

Lexie booped Wendy on the nose with a finger, and said "Padlocked, remember? You don't have to worry about me sneaking a peek at _little_ Dipper."

Wendy crossed her arms, and frowned. Lexie was halfway up the stairs, when she heard Wendy whisper to herself, " _Big_ Dipper."

Lexie smirked and arched an eyebrow. She turned her head slightly, and said loud enough for Wendy to hear "I _really_ didn't need to know that." She laughed as Wendy made a strangled noise and rushed back into the kitchen.

Lexie clomped the rest of the way up the stairs in her heavy Doc Martens, and pounded loudly on Dipper's door.

"YO TWINKLE STAR!" she shouted, "GET YOUR ASS OUTTA BED!"

The door flew open immediately, and a surprisingly cheerful Dipper smiled at his friend.

"Mornin' bitch," he said with a grin.

"Mornin' yourself," she said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "You seem less broody than normal today—not that I'm complaining."

"I took some sleeping pills last night and slept like the dead," explained Dipper. "No dreams! No 'Rora or Wendy sobbing at me that I broke their hearts, no reliving my traumatizing Sandman nightmare. Just pure, unadulterated, black-out sleep."

"Well, brace yourself," said Lexie, "because once Wendy and Aurora realize you're in a good mood, they'll be all over you like flies on shit."

Dipper smiled wryly. "You have such a way with words, Lex."

"You're fuckin' right, I do," said Lexie, as she turned to head back down the stairs, Dipper chuckling as he followed in her wake.

When Dipper and Lexie entered the kitchen, they were greeted by three anxious faces.

"Everyone breathe," said Lexie, putting an arm around Dipper's shoulders. "Our Dipper is fit for polite company—at least for now."

"Sugar, I'm not sure what kind of company I'd call you," Gideon said to Lexie, "but _polite_ is not the correct word."

"Pffft, I'm the _best_ kind of company, is what I am," she grinned.

Dipper leaned in and kissed Lexie on the cheek. "You really kind of are, Lex," he said, ducking out from under her arm and going to the counter to pour himself a bowl of cereal.

Aurora and Wendy both shot dirty looks at Lexie, who held her hands up. "Woah— _nope._ Dipper, you did _not_ just go and make them think I'm competition. Because I am _so_ not," said Lexie, with emphasis. "I am totally not after that pile of shit."

"Excuse me?" said Aurora, standing up, ready to defend Dipper. Wendy crossed her arms and glared at Lexie. Gideon's brow was furrowed in confusion.

Dipper burst out into laughter. "Guys, chill. She's referring to a joke she made upstairs. Don't start fighting and harsh my mellow." He sat down next to Gideon, and began eating his cereal.

Everyone (well, everyone but Lexie) stared at Dipper while he ate, astonished at his good mood.

Finally, Wendy spoke up. "So, um, what do you wanna do today, dude?"

Dipper shrugged, as he swallowed a mouthful of cereal.

"I know what he's gonna do today!" said Mabel, as she and Pacifica strode into the room, back from the flea market. She proudly held the bag out to Dipper. "Well, look inside!" she said, when he hesitated.

Dipper reached into the bag and pulled out the puzzle box. "What."

"No, not that," said Mabel impatiently. She plucked the puzzle box out of his hand and sat it on the counter, where it was promptly forgotten about as Dipper discovered his real present.

"HOLY CRAP MABEL!" he cried, launching out of his seat to hug her.

"Wooooah there, bro-bro," she said, staggering backward. "I thought you'd like it, but not this much!"

"Mabel, this is a _first edition_ copy of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons!" said Dipper, staring at the art on the box in awe. "A rare one—like, really rare. It has an expansion with it that I've never even heard of! How much did you pay for this?"

"Er…twelve dollars?"

"Twelve dollars?!" Dipper was geeking out. "This is worth _so_ much more than that!"

"Come on, Mabel, leave the dorks to their game," said Pacifica. "We've got more shopping to do, plus lunch and mini-golf later." She grabbed her girlfriend's hand, and began pulling her out of the kitchen.

"Have fun with your graphs!" called Mabel, waving as she allowed herself to be dragged from the room.

Dipper sat the box on the table, and stared at it with a big, dopey grin on his face.

"So… we're playing this today, I take it?" said Wendy.

Dipper looked up, and noticed everyone staring at him. "Yeah! Well, I mean, if that's okay with you guys…"

"Psh, yeah," said Lexie. "I'll play your dork game. And you know Gid's in. What about you two?" she asked Wendy and Aurora.

"I've never actually played before, but if you're this excited about it, Dipper, count me in," said Wendy.

Aurora nodded. "I, too, will play. How do we begin?"

"Well, first we need to decide who's going to DM," said Dipper. He looked at Gideon, who frowned.

"Honey, you don't want me to be DM again," said Gideon. "Remember the mess I made of the last game we played? What about Lex?"

Lexie nodded, and rubbed her hands together like an evil villain, giggling.

"Uh, no," said Dipper. "Knowing Lexie, she'd put us up against impossible tasks, and pick our characters off one by one just because she could."

Lexie hung her head. "Dammit, Dipper. You know me too well."

"Considering Wendy and Aurora have never played before, I guess I'm stuck DMing," said Dipper. "I'm making a player character too, though."

"Fair enough," said Gideon with a shrug.

Dipper passed around the blank character sheets, and after helping Wendy and Aurora create their characters, he made one of his own. When they were all done, their party consisted of Dipthar the Barbarian, Gizwald the Wizard, Alexa the Rogue, Roriana the Cleric, and Wind the Ranger.

"Okay, so I want us to play through this expansion, since I've never heard of it," said Dipper. "I'm going to read the basic plot of the quest out loud so we're all on the same page. Sorry if things are a bit rocky—I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants, here."

Wendy grinned. "It's not like Aurora or I would know the difference anyway."

Aurora nodded. "This is true."

Dipper cleared his throat as he held up the expansion booklet and began reading.

"The once lowly peasant, Ollomar the Weak, began manifesting strange powers several years ago. The powers quickly grew, and he changed his name to Ollomar the Fierce. He began amassing followers and training them to use powers like his. Soon he and his followers declared war on the local Lords of the Grave Forest, and began slaughtering innocents, taking whatever they wanted. Rumor spread that Ollomar's powers had come about through a pact with demons. People lucky enough to survive his brutal campaign had noticed that everywhere Ollomar (now known as the Demon Warlord) traveled, he brought along with him an ornately carved chest that seemed to have a red glow about it. There have been whispers that suggest the source of the Demon Warlord's power resides in that chest, and that if it is destroyed, the Demon Warlord will be destroyed along with it.

"Your party's quest is to fight through the Demon Warlord's minions in the Grave Forest, and find and destroy his chest—and whatever evil lies within.

"Your quest begins in Pineholm Tavern, at the edge of the Grave Forest.

"Wow…that's…sounds cool…I feel funny," murmured Dipper, as he and his friends all promptly passed out.

/

Dipthar lifted his head and blinked slowly, his eyes bleary from sleep. Peering around the tavern table, it appeared his companions had all fallen asleep as well. He glanced down, and smiled to himself when he saw the shimmering red hair of Wind draped across his lap, where she was slumped over. He quite liked seeing her face in his lap, and hoped it would happen again soon. He stroked her hair, then slid his hand down her back to her rump, and gave the rounded flesh beneath her wool leggings a firm squeeze.

"Gah!" cried Wind. She sat up, grabbed a knife from her boot, and held it against Dipthar's throat—until she realized who it was. With some quick sleight of hand, the knife was out of sight, and Wind leaned up against Dipthar, stroking his fur-clad chest.

"That's not the best way to awaken me, muscle man," Wind purred into Dipthar's ear. "When I am startled, I tend to stab things."

"Noted," grunted the barbarian.

Alexa lifted her head and yawned. "Who's getting stabbed?" she asked, as she stealthily removed a jeweled bracelet from a still sleeping Gizwald's wrist, before poking him awake. "Giz, wake up—people are getting stabbed!"

The wizard jolted awake, his blue eyes wide. "Someone's been stabbed?" he asked, glancing around at the party.

Roriana, who had awoken with Wind's screech, smiled wryly. "Nobody is getting stabbed. Someone _almost_ got his throat slit." She crossed her arms and frowned at Dipthar. "Honestly—I know you're a barbarian, but do you always attempt to take without asking like you just did?"

Dipthar cocked his head to the side. "With objects, yes. With women, no." He glanced sidelong at Wind, a smile playing on his lips. "This particular vixen and I have…an arrangement, of sorts. I was, however, unaware of the consequences of waking her up in such a way."

Roriana scoffed. "Be that as it may, that kind of behavior, while we travel as a group, is inappropriate."

Wind laughed. "Lighten up, grandma. If you don't want to see it, don't look."

Gizwald raised his hand. "Uh, yes, um, sorry… but aren't we supposed to be starting a quest today?"

Alexa nodded. "Right, something about a chest that needs stealing?"

Dipthar shook his head. "We are going after the Demon Warlord's chest, wherein lies the key to his evil powers. We are to destroy the chest. Not steal it."

Alexa hung her head. "No one ever lets me have any fun," she mumbled, as she helped herself to a coin from Roriana's belt purse.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Wind, leaping up from her seat. "Let's go kick some demonic ass!"

"That is a sentiment that I can wholeheartedly agree with," said Roriana, rising as well.

"Finally!" said Gizwald, as he stood and began walking toward the door. "Maybe I'll get a chance to use the new 'Rend' spell I've been practicing. Ripping straw dummies in half doesn't provide the same kind of visceral satisfaction as blood spatter and entrails."

Roriana shuddered. "I'm glad I only provide healing support and defense from the back of the group… I do not want to experience this visceral satisfaction you speak of as bloodstains upon my robes."

Dipthar sighed. "You really need to loosen up some, Rori." He swatted her rear end playfully as he passed her in the doorway.

Roriana gasped and sputtered, her face turning a deep shade of crimson.

Alexa gripped the unmoving Cleric's shoulders, and pushed her through the door, out of Pineholm Tavern, and into the beginning of their adventure.

/

In order to enter the Grave Forest, Dipthar and his companions had to pass through the small village of Grave's End. The village was unusually quiet. As they walked down the cobbled road that led through Grave's End, they glanced around, in search of any clue as to where the villagers had gone, or why.

Gizwald was the first to spot it—a hunched, hideous creature, with sloping shoulders, a head that seemed too big for its miniscule body, and a mouth that seemed too big to fit onto its face. Large yellowed teeth protruded from its mouth.

"There!" cried Gizwald, pointing as the creature shuffled slowly out one of the small, stone houses lining the road. "The Demon Warlord must have sent his minions out to attack Grave's End!"

Hearing Gizwald's shout, the creature turned, and began shrieking at the party in an unintelligible language, it's bloodshot eyes wide.

"You shall not cast a curse on my companions!" cried Roriana. She began to chant a prayer of protection over the group.

Dipthar let loose a deafening battle cry, and began running at the goblin, his double-headed axe raised high. Wind stayed at a distance, aiming her crossbow to set up the perfect shot. Gizwald began slinging rose-colored fireballs at the creature, who screamed and began running away.

Alexa was prepared for this eventuality, having already snuck behind the creature, waiting for it to turn and run straight into her dagger.

The creature was surprisingly quick, and dodged around Alexa's dagger slashes. It ran away from her, toward the Grave Forest, and, presumably, the Demon Warlord's camp. She turned and sped after it, her companions soon catching up. Together, they gave chase to the hideous monster.

/

Mabel and Pacifica sat across from each other at a booth in Greasy's Diner, chatting animatedly about miniature golf, when Pacifica suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open, as her eyes tracked something unusual moving outside the window.

"Mabel… do you have any idea why your brother and his dork friends would be chasing Toby Determined down Main Street with weaponry?"

/

Dipthar and his companions had the creature surrounded. Wind had successfully hit her mark just as the goblin had reached the cover of the woods. It cowered on the forest floor, a crossbow bolt protruding from the fleshy part of its calf, the wound bleeding heavily.

"Pathetic!" cried Dipthar, prodding the goblin in its heaving chest with the head of his axe. The goblin whimpered.

"So, who gets the pleasure of killing it?" asked Alexa, her eyes glinting yellow. She gripped two daggers tightly, ready to pounce.

"We need to try and question it first, don't we?" asked Wind, looking down upon the sobbing goblin with disdain.

Roriana crossed her arms. "Foul creature," she addressed it coldly, "who sent you forth to attack the village of Grave's End?"

The goblin shuddered and shook its head, mumbling incoherently.

"Is it so stupid that it doesn't even speak Common?" asked Gizwald to no one in particular.

Dipthar, always one to be straightforward, grabbed the monster by its scrawny neck, and pinned it against a nearby tree.

"Where is the Demon Warlord?" he bellowed directly in the goblin's face. "Where is his enchanted chest? If you refuse to tell us, I will gut you, right here."

The goblin's face was turning blue. It shook its head, tears spilling from its eyes.

"You are useless," spat Dipthar, releasing the monster, who fell into a heap at the base of the tree. Dipthar drew his axe, and held it over the creature's head.

"Wait!" cried Gizwald. Dipthar turned to the wizard.

"What?" he asked, irritation in his voice. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and stomped down on the creature's back, pinning it in place so it couldn't crawl away.

Gizwald rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Would you let me kill it? I would _really_ like to test my new Rend spell on actual flesh and blood."

Dipthar sighed, and removed his foot from the creature, stepping back. "Fine."

Gizwald grinned maniacally, as he stepped forward and began the incantation.

/

Mabel was in such a hurry to get out of Greasy's and find out why her brother was chasing a screaming Toby Determined, that she didn't see Jessica Corduroy opening the door to the diner, and plowed right into her, sending them both tumbling to the sidewalk.

"Ow! Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs. Corduroy, are you okay?" asked Mabel, giving her English teacher a hand up.

"I'm fine, Mabel," Jessica assured her. "What's got you in such a rush?"

Pacifica, who was standing in the doorway, pointed down the street. "Dipper and his dorks are acting weirder than usual. When we left the house, they were getting ready to play a game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons. Now they're suddenly downtown, wielding weapons, and chasing Toby Determined."

Jessica narrowed her eyes. "That _does_ seem a bit out of character for them. Come on girls, hop in my car. We'll catch them up and see what's going on."

They only drove about half a mile, until they came upon the group veering away from the road, and into the woods. Jessica stomped the brakes, and she, Mabel, and Pacifica exited the car at a run, trying to keep track of the group of screaming teens. They came upon them surrounding a terrified Toby, who was on his knees, shaking and sobbing, bleeding profusely from a crossbow bolt embedded in his calf.

Mabel started forward from their hiding spot in the trees, but Jessica put out an arm to stop her.

"We need to listen to them a little first—to know what we're dealing with," whispered the older woman. "It seems they aren't afraid to put their weapons to use." Mabel nodded, and stepped back.

It was clear that the group of teens was still playing their game of D, D & MD, but it appeared that they were sharing some sort of group hallucination, and thought the game was real, and that Toby was some kind of monster.

Mabel tried to step forward again, as Dipper thrust Toby up against a tree by his neck, and screamed in his face.

" _No_ ," whispered Jessica, turning to look at Mabel. "It's too dangerous! They could think you're a monster and attack _you_!"

"Mrs. Corduroy, they're going to kill him!" whispered Pacifica urgently.

Dipper was standing over Toby, gripping a brilliant silver double-headed axe, which was sparking energy like tiny lightning bolts.

"Is that—my God," whispered Jessica. "He's made an _axe_ out of rift energy! How the hell?"

Gideon shouted for Dipper to wait. Jessica hoped maybe he was coming to his senses. Instead, Gideon began chanting an incantation. The blood left Jessica's face when she recognized the spell—a real spell—meant to literally rip an enemy in half. Crimson energy was building around Gideon's hands. Jessica had no choice.

"I command you to stop at once!" she called loudly, stepping out into the clearing. She held a hand up behind her, signaling the girls to stay where they were.

The group of hallucinating teens all turned and leveled their weapons at Jessica.

/

"Hold!" cried Roriana, thrusting her fist in the air. "It is the Great Mother Goddess!" She knelt and bowed her head. Wind and Gizwald knelt as well. Dipthar remained standing, glaring at the intruder with his arms crossed. Alexa stood off to the side, picking her teeth with a dagger.

"Why are you torturing this poor creature, who has done you no harm?" asked the Goddess, a look of stern disapproval on her face.

"Great Mother, it is a minion of the evil Demon Warlord!" cried Roriana, upset that her Goddess seemed unhappy with them.

"Are you sure about that?" asked the Goddess, crossing her arms.

"It was skulking around the abandoned village of Grave's End, clearly up to no good," supplied Wind.

"Did you _see_ it do anyone harm?" asked the Goddess. "Has it harmed any of you?"

Gizwald hung his head in shame. "No, Great Mother."

"I expected as much," said the Goddess, walking over to the goblin, who lay bruised and bleeding on the ground. She leaned down and offered it a hand. As she helped the goblin struggle to its feet, she scolded the party.

"I know this creature. He may not be much to look at, but that does not mean he is evil. I also know that he does not have the knowledge you seek."

Dipthar eyed the Goddess warily as she led the goblin to the edge of the clearing, and pushed him into the shadows of the trees.

"Fine," said Dipthar. "Perhaps _you_ can provide us the knowledge we seek."

"I can, and will," said the Mother Goddess. "Ask, and I shall answer."

"Oh, Great Mother—" began Roriana, her eyes closed, and hands clasped together in prayer.

Alexa snorted. "What're you doing that for—she's right here!" She shook her head slowly. "Honestly…"

Roriana scowled and opened her eyes, looking directly at the Great Mother. "My mother, we are on a quest to find the camp of the Demon Warlord, and destroy his enchanted chest, thereby relieving him of his demonic powers. Do you know where he is located?"

The Goddess paused for a moment. Then she nodded, as if reassuring herself that she was doing the right thing. "The Demon Warlord is currently residing in a fortress built at the top of a tree, to the East of here."

Dipthar smiled coldly. "I know the exact location you are describing. It used to be a place of respite for my people. I will be glad to use the blood of my enemies to cleanse the evil from that sacred place."

Roriana grinned and bowed to the Goddess once again. "Thank you, Great Mother!"

Wind and Gizwald both bowed as well. Dipthar spared the Goddess the slightest nod of his head. Alexa yawned and scratched her rear end.

"Let's move out," Dipthar called to his companions. As they melted into the shadows of the surrounding forest, the Great Mother Goddess turned and walked back into the clump of trees behind her.

/

"This is bad," said Jessica. She hurriedly walked over to Toby. "Besides the obvious crossbow bolt in your leg, do you have any other injuries?"

"I think Dipper cracked a few ribs when he stomped on my back," said Toby. He put a hand to his throat. "I'm going to have a bruise around my neck, too, I think. But what hurts the worst are my feelings. They called me horrible things," he said, looking down.

"Come on, I'm going to drop you off at the hospital," said Jessica, putting an arm around the small man's shoulders, and leading him toward her car.

"Mrs. Corduroy, what do you think caused this?" asked Mabel. "Dipper has FCLORPed with Soos before, (which was hilarious, by the way), but that was nothing like this."

"Yeah," said Pacifica. "Even when Dipper's being a jerk, he's never been that brutal."

"And Wendy shot—actually _shot_ —Toby!" added Mabel. "That is not the Wendy that I know."

They reached Jessica's car, and she helped Toby into the front passenger seat, before getting in on the driver's side. She looked in the rearview mirror, at the anxious faces of her daughter's friends.

"I don't know what's going on, girls, but I know someone who might." She pulled out her cellphone and dialed Pike's number, and then pulled onto the road as it rang.

/

"It's pretty much a straight shot from here," said Dipthar. "We should probably spread out, in case any of the Demon Warlord's minions are waiting to ambush unsuspecting travelers. Gizwald, you take point. Alexa, you and Roriana each take a flank. Wind and I will bring up the rear."

The party members nodded, and went their respective ways. When they were alone, Wind crossed her arms as she leaned against a tree trunk, and frowned. "Why'd you let Giz take point? Isn't that kind of your job? You're our tank."

Dipthar turned to face her, a predatory grin spreading across his face. He slowly walked toward her.

"Being that close to making a kill, and having it ripped away by that meddling Goddess, has left me feeling…unsatisfied. I was hoping you could help." He was face to face with Wind. So close he could count the tiny freckles dotting the bridge of her nose. A subtle flush crept into her cheeks, and her soft lips parted in a sly smile. She nodded.

Dipthar grunted, roughly pushing her back against the tree, his mouth pressing down on hers in a fierce kiss. She responded in kind, her moans of pleasure muffled against his mouth. Dipthar hissed as Wind's fingernails left bloody tracks down his back. He wound his fingers through her long, red tresses, and yanked, pulling her head to the side and burying his face in her neck, nibbling and sucking on the tender flesh, eliciting whimpers of excitement from his lover.

Taking the initiative, Wind pushed Dipthar away, and used her leg to sweep his feet out from under him. He landed with a grunt on a bed of dried pine needles, and murmured in appreciation when Wind stepped over him, and slowly pulled her tunic off. She crouched down to straddle him, wearing only her wool leggings and leather boots. He could feel her warmth through the thin layers of cloth that separated them.

Wind rocked her hips, grinding against Dipthar's burgeoning lust. Groaning, he grabbed her forcefully, pulling her down against him, their mouths meeting in a passionate kiss. He rolled her over, so that he was on top, stripped off his fur vest, and began fumbling at the ties on his loincloth, cursing the inventor of the double knot. He was finally victorious against the knot, and about to toss his loincloth aside, when he heard a gasp from behind them.

Dipthar leapt to his feet and spun around, meeting the eyes of a shocked Roriana. She glanced down his torso, her eyes widening. Dipthar's loincloth had remained on the ground when he stood.

"Like what you see?" he asked, with a wink, as he crouched down and grabbed his loincloth, refastening it around his waist.

"I-I just came to say that we've spotted the Demon Warlord's tree fortress," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "We thought you'd want to know, so we could devise a plan of attack." Without another word, Roriana turned and walked back in the direction she had come from, absently wiping at her cheeks and wondering why they were wet.

Wind sat up with a sigh. "Playtime is over, isn't it?" she pouted.

"Yes," said Dipthar, watching regretfully as she pulled her tunic back on. He gave her a hand up, and pulled her close, giving her one more lingering kiss, before whispering in her ear "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you _after_ the battle. I promise."

/

Pike nearly threw his phone across the room when it rang, until he realized it was Jess's ringtone.

"You've been gone forever," he whined, in lieu of saying hello. "How long can it possibly take to pick up greasy hangover takeout?"

"Ollie, we have a problem," Jessica said seriously.

"Please don't tell me Greasy's was closed. That would be horrible."

"I didn't get you any food," said Jessica, beginning to sound irritated.

"What?! Why not?" cried Pike. He winced at the sharp pain the effort to be loud had caused in his head. He continued more quietly. "That was the only reason you went out!"

"Because Dipper, Wendy, Aurora, Lexie and Gideon are sharing some kind of group hallucination, and attempted to murder Toby Determined," she said, hoping that would be enough to get Pike's attention. It worked.

"What the hell? Explain."

Jessica handed the phone to Mabel, who told Pike about the rare, first edition copy of D, D & MD with 'The Demon Warlord' expansion that she had bought Dipper at the flea market.

"He totally freaked out when I told him I bought it for twelve dollars," she said.

" _Twelve dollars_?" said Pike, whistling. "Dipper was right to be freaked—first edition copies of D, D  & MD are collector's items. They often sell for twenty times that amount. If the seller was willing to let it go for that cheap, I'm willing to bet the game's cursed or something. Hand the phone back to Jess, will you?"

"So what do we do, Ollie?" asked Jessica, as soon as the phone was back in her possession. "Wendy's got her crossbow, Dipper's wielding an axe made out of rift energy, Lexie's running around with carving knives, and Gideon was using _creatura lacerabi_ s _._ "

"Woah, woah, woah, Gideon was using _what_?!" said Pike in disbelief. "I did _not_ teach him that. I'm going to have to have a come to Jesus talk with him when this is all over. Wait a second… how did _you_ know—"

"Focus, Ollie," Jessica said, cutting him off. "I had to interrupt them before they actually _killed_ Toby. Luckily Aurora thought I was some 'Mother Goddess,' so I played along. I told them the evil demon guy they were looking for was at the treehouse."

Pike was quiet for a moment. "That's good. I can use that. Jess, can you take Mabel over to her house to get the game, and then bring it to the treehouse? I'll head there in my Jeep, and try to keep them from killing anyone or each other before you get there."

"Yeah, I can do that, just as soon as I drop Toby off at the hospital," said Jessica, adding softly, "Ollie, please be careful."

Pike laughed. "You know that's against my nature, Jess. I'll see you soon."

The line went dead.

/

"Your Goddess lied to us!" roared Dipthar, as he peered into the empty treehouse. He climbed back down the tree, and got right in Roriana's face. "There's nobody here at all!"

Roriana stepped back, biting her lip. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I-I don't know what to tell you. I trusted her."

Dipthar moved to step forward, back into Roriana's face, when Alexa stepped in front of him. "She can't help what her Goddess told us. You need to lay off," she said crossing her arms, her eyes taking on a dangerous yellow glow.

Dipthar scowled and stepped back again. "What are we supposed to do now? The Demon Warlord could be anywhere. She was our only lead."

"Uh, sorry, am I late?" came a voice from the trees. An average-looking man stepped forward. "I was told you were looking for me?"

Wind furrowed her brow. "You _can't_ be the Demon Warlord," she said, shaking her head. "He's supposed to be fearsome and powerful."

Gizwald eyed the man suspiciously. "He could be using a glamour to try and confuse us," he said.

"Hey, if he says he's the Demon Warlord, that's good enough for me," said Alexa. She looked at Dipthar. "Stabby stabby time?"

Dipthar grinned malevolently, making eye contact with the man who claimed to be the Demon Warlord. The man stared him down with cold indifference. "Good enough for me, too. I _really_ need to kill something today." He drew his shining, silver battle axe, and ran at the man.

/

"Shit," mumbled Pike, as Dipper came at him at a run, wielding a double-headed axe formed of pure, crackling rift energy. He dodged the blow aimed at him, and then was nearly skewered by a crossbow bolt from Wendy. It pinned his shirt to the tree behind him. As he pulled himself away from the tree he heard a loud ripping sound.

 _Dammit, I really liked this shirt. I am_ way _too hung over for this bullshit._

Aurora began chanting something about the 'wrath of the Goddess,' and let out a true, ear-splitting dragon roar, as she began spewing silver flames.

Pike dodged the brunt of the flames, but had to frantically pat his sleeve. "Fuck fuck fuck ow shit!" He hid behind a tree for a moment to catch his breath, and didn't hear Gideon's incantation until it was too late. The white-haired youth had flanked him, and a burst of rose-colored energy shot from his hands.

Pike dodged, but the energy hit the left half of his body, shredding his clothing, and covering his skin in tiny, painful blisters. " _Fuck me_!" he screamed. "I _know_ I didn't teach you _that_!"

He dodged another blow from Dipper's rift axe, and ran straight into Lexie. She grinned wolfishly, her eyes flashing yellow. She brandished two of the Pines' chef knives at him, slashing viciously. Pike knocked her back, and was able to roundhouse kick both knives out of her hands.

As he backed away from Lexie, he noticed that Jessica, Mabel, and Pacifica had arrived, and were hiding in the underbrush nearby. He made eye-contact with Jess and shook his head slightly, mouthing "too dangerous." She nodded, but then her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

Pike saw it out of the corner of his eye, and turned just in time for Lexie, in her full wolf form, to launch herself at him and bite his left upper arm, clinging on for all she was worth.

"Fucking DAMMIT!" screamed Pike. "You _fucking_ bitch!" He punched Lexie repeatedly in the face until she finally unclamped her jaw and dropped to the ground. "I tried to play nice, but _fuck_ if you guys don't take this game _way_ too damn seriously!"

He ran from their attacks until he was far enough away from everyone to cast his spell safely. He took a knee, and placed one hand firmly on the forest floor, while shouting "Hastam de caelo descendit!"

In an instant, everyone was momentarily blinded by a brilliant, white lightning strike, accompanied by a deafening crack of thunder that shook the trees. Pike had been expecting it, so his eyes had been closed. While everyone was disoriented, he raced forward into the small crater where the lightning had struck, and grabbed the charred weapon laying in the center.

A grin spread across his face as he grasped the six-foot-long, lead-cored pole-arm, tipped with razor-sharp steel. "Okay kiddos, I'm ready to play now."

Dipper came at him again, screaming, his rift axe poised to strike. Pike deflected the strike with his spear, and then spun around, and gave Dipper a heavy tap on top of his head. Dipper's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, the rift axe in his hands flickering and disappearing.

"NO!" screamed Wendy. She ran at Pike, trying to line up a clean shot. Her bolt missed him by a few feet.

"Come on Pippy, I know you have better aim than that!" taunted Pike. While she paused to load another bolt into her crossbow, he used the opportunity to dart to within spear range of her. She looked up to aim her weapon, only to be greeted by a smiling Pike.

"Sorry Pippy, this is gonna hurt," he said, and rapped her soundly on the head with his weighted pole-arm. She dropped to the ground with a thud.

Aurora and Lexie (still in wolf form) both ran at Pike at the same time, from opposite sides. "Sound strategy," said Pike, as he held the spear horizontally and spun quickly in a circle. "Poor execution." The dragoness and the wolf collapsed on either side of him, having both taken a blow to the head.

Pike heard a familiar Southern draw chanting a particularly complex incantation from behind him. "Gideon, Gideon, Gideon. I'm disappointed in you. I don't know where you learned this evil shit, but it looks like I'm going to have to beat it out of you."

Gideon's incantation was a long one, and he was still chanting as Pike ran at him. The boy's normally rose-colored magic had a tinge of black to it as it gathered around his hands. He was almost finished with the incantation, as Pike came within striking distance.

"Bad," said Pike, as he swept the spear around, jamming the butt of it into Gideon's forehead. The magic fizzled away into the air as Gideon rocked back on his feet, and fell flat on the ground behind him.

Pike looked at the unconscious forms of the teenagers strewn all around him, and planted his spear in the ground, leaning on it for support. "I'm getting too old for this shit," he said. He glanced at his left bicep, which was bleeding freely from multiple deep puncture wounds. "Dammit, Lexie," he murmured.

"Ollie… is it safe for us to come out now?" called Jessica from the bushes.

"Yeah Jess, they're all knocked out," he called weakly. He began trembling violently, and sank to his knees.

Jessica, Mabel and Pacifica all came at a run. Mabel had the box of D, D & MD clasped to her chest.

"Give me that," said Pike. She handed him the box, and he placed his palm on in, closing his eyes and mumbling "Perficere illusio." A soft hiss escaped the box, along with some acrid smelling smoke.

Pike shoved the box at Jessica. "Make sure this gets burned," he rasped. "I have something I need to take care of now."

Pike gripped his spear, and said "Abstergo." He watched his hands as it dissolved into nothingness. He glanced over to Jessica. "You may want to take the girls off into the woods a bit. This part isn't going to be pretty."

"We're from Gravity Falls," said Pacifica, sounding a little offended. "We can handle it."

Pike grinned weakly. "Suit yourself then, sweetheart." He crawled away from them on his hands and knees, and with enormous effort, shouted "PURGABIT CORPUS!"

For a moment nothing happened. Suddenly, the werewolf bite on Pike's arm began to turn black and smoke, blood and pus oozing out. The blisters from Gideon's spell began to sizzle and pop. Pike opened his mouth to scream, but instead, began vomiting out a thick, black slime.

Mabel covered her ears and clenched her eyes shut. "Tell me when it's over, please!" she cried.

Pacifica covered her mouth, and ran to the bushes, where the sound of her retching joined Pike's.

Jessica watched, stunned. She felt helpless.

After what seemed like forever (but was no more than ten minutes), Pike's vomiting ceased, and his wolf bite stopped smoking.

"Am I done now? Oh…good," said Pike. He crawled a few feet away from the puddle of death, and collapsed.

/

It took a while, but Jessica, Mabel and Pacifica managed to get all their unconscious friends back to the Pines house. They placed them in the living room, where one by one they woke up, until the only one still out cold was Pike.

Dipper's head was throbbing. He remembered everything. He glanced furtively across the room at Wendy, who made eye contact, blushed furiously, and looked away. Yeah, she obviously remembered everything, too. He looked over at Aurora, who was staring sullenly at the floor, wiping absently at a lone tear trickling down her cheek. Great, looks like her memory was also intact.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," said Lexie, rocking back and forth on the loveseat. She was wearing one of Mabel's sweaters and a pair of her jeans, as her clothes had been shredded during her transformation. "I bit him. Guys, I bit Pike. Fuuuuuuuuck!"

Gideon, who sported a large, purple goose egg in the center of his forehead, rubbed her back, trying to console her. "Look, sugar, you're a werewolf, and you make it work. Pike will be fine, I'm sure of it."

Jessica cleared her throat. "Actually, I don't think we have to worry about him becoming a werewolf," she said.

Lexie looked up, confused. "Uh, I bit him. I tasted his blood. I'm pretty sure he's infected."

Jessica looked down at Pike's prone form on the rug, to make sure he was still passed out, before she explained. "I can't manipulate the rift anymore—you all know that. What you don't know, is that since my rift powers have been gone, I've been secretly studying other types of magic."

"You… what?!" cried Dipper.

"Mom!" said Wendy, "What the hell?!"

Jessica looked down at the floor. "I know I agreed I wouldn't, but I hate feeling powerless and vulnerable. I'm not doing any black magic, I promise. But I didn't tell you this so you could guilt trip me—I told you, so that Lexie will understand how I know Ollie is not going to become a werewolf."

"And how's that?" asked Lexie.

"Girls," said Jessica, turning to Mabel and Pacifica. "Do you remember what Oliver said immediately before he started vomiting?"

"Ugh," said Pacifica, turning slightly green.

"Something about…purging a corpse?" said Mabel.

"Purgabit corpus," corrected Jessica. "If you or I say those words, nothing happens. We don't have sufficient power to invoke them as a spell. Because it's not even really a spell. It's just Latin. Gideon, even if you tried, you wouldn't be able to invoke it. But Ollie did. He's powerful. _Way_ more powerful than he should be. He wasn't like this as a kid, so I'm not sure how he got to be this way—but he can make things happen simply by demanding that they do."

Gideon stared at her in disbelief. "That's not possible."

"Yes, it is," insisted Jessica. "You all saw it. The weapon he knocked you all out with? He summoned it out of nowhere. From a lightning strike. That's not normal magic."

"So that purgabit thingy—what did that do?" asked Lexie.

Jessica looked down at Pike, still shocked at what she had seen him do. "It purified him. It purged every single toxin or hint of disease from his body. Including the werewolf virus."

Dipper frowned. "That proves it, then."

Wendy arched an eyebrow. "Proves what?"

"If the magic he's using is that powerful, Pike has to be dealing with demons," said Dipper simply.

"You don't know that," said Gideon, coming to Pike's defense.

"Well can you, or _you_ , Jessica, explain how he's capable of such power?" asked Dipper.

The room was quiet.

"Dipper," said Jessica, breaking the silence, "I've known Oliver all my life. I grew up with him. I know that he would _never_ deal with demons. He's always been a protector—nothing he's ever done has been for his own personal gain. I wish you could understand that."

Dipper frowned. "It just seems awfully convenient that—"

He was cut off by a knock at the door. Pacifica got up to answer it. As she opened the door, everyone in the room let out an audible gasp.

A tall, young woman, in her early twenties, by the looks of it, stood in the doorway. She was dressed in jeans and green flannel shirt that was tied off at the midriff, exposing her navel. She wore Birkenstocks, and had a backpack slung over her shoulder. She wore her long, shining red hair up in a ponytail.

"Hi, I'm looking for Dipper Pines… I was told he lives here? My name is Gwen Corduroy."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 20: A Tale Of Two Wendys

/

/

How's that for a Mid-Season Finale? Got a lot of fun stuff in store for the back half, I hope that you guys like it.

 **SHOUTOUTS! scroghmc, Dexay, MorgothII, LimboticMistisos, moshi182, TGGDSD, pittbuck, D0TBLACK** you guys are awesome! Thanks for the reviews, I love 'em.

If you got the time and are looking for some good reads go check out **Geekngroom's 'Worlds Apart'** and **TGGDSD's 'A Spark of Hope'.**

A special thanks to my partner in crime(not that we ever commit crimes) **Geekngroom,** without your help I'd still be stuck trying to get this season started. Love ya babe.

/

Peace


	20. A Tale Of Two Wendys

Chapter Twenty

A Tale Of Two Wendys

The hazy evening sunlight shone warm, and coated the forest like honey. A soft breeze rustled the pine needles, and caused motes of dust to swirl in the shafts of sunlight that broke through the canopy. The couple walking beneath the trees came to a familiar clearing, and sat side by side on an old, fallen log.

"Thanks for agreeing to come on a walk with me," said the red-headed young woman. "Everyone was looking at me like I had two heads… I was only looking for Dipper. You're him, huh? You look different than I remember."

"Well, heh, yeah," said Dipper awkwardly. "It's been three years since you disappeared. I grew up." He rubbed the back of his neck, and glanced up at Gwen, blushing under her emerald gaze. "C-call me Mason, though."

Gwen furrowed her brow. "Did I remember your name wrong? Ugh, how embarrassing."

"No," said Dipper. "But I think it's time I leave that name behind… at least with you."

Gwen sighed. "Everything is so weird. I only remember bits and pieces from…from before. And then I show up and see a younger version of me sitting in your living room. Talk about freaky."

"Did you not recognize anyone else in the room?" inquired Dipper.

"No, Mason… well, your sister," she said. Her cheeks flushed. "I can't remember her name."

"Mabel," prompted Dipper.

"Yeah, that sounds right…Mabel." Gwen smiled. "I remembered her face, at least. And her sweaters."

"Wend—Gwen," Dipper corrected himself. "Your mom and your…uncle Oliver were there, too."

Gwen covered her face with her hands. "I didn't even recognize… I—I don't think I can do this. I shouldn't have come." She stood up and walked a few feet away. Dipper followed her, and placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around. She lowered her hands from her face, and gave him a woebegone look, tears spilling from her eyes.

Dipper felt a physical pain in his chest, and couldn't resist sweeping Gwen up in a tight hug. It felt right. He knew it in his gut. The smell of her hair, the way she nuzzled her nose into his shoulder. This was the Wendy who disappeared three years ago. And if that was true… who was the Wendy sitting in his living room?

"Can you tell me what you remember?" Dipper whispered into her ear, as he continued to hold her. "Where have you been?"

"I woke up in an alleyway in San Francisco about two and a half years ago," began Gwen. Her warm breath on Dipper's neck sent shivers down his spine. "I was a mess. My hair was matted into dreadlocks… I-I had needle marks on my arms. No memory at all, other than my name: Gwendolyn. Also, a vague memory of hating that name. That's why I told everyone I met to call me Gwen."

"Needle marks?!" breathed Dipper, pulling away from her, and grabbing both her wrists. He turned her arms over, and did indeed see faint scarring on the inside of both her lower arms. His face paled. "Who did this to you?!"

Gwen shrugged. "For all I know, I could have done it to myself. As I said, no memory." She pulled out of Dipper's grasp, and sat back down on the log. "I drifted from homeless shelter to homeless shelter. I had to panhandle for money to buy food. I didn't do any drugs though—I was worried that was what had caused my amnesia in the first place." She absently patted the scarring on her right arm.

Dipper sat back down on the log next to Gwen, but this time he straddled it so he could face her. "So you just… drifted?"

"Mhmm, pretty much," confirmed Gwen. She looked up at Dipper. "I felt hopeless for a while… until I started recovering bits and pieces of my memory. The first thing I remembered from before… it was your face." She smiled shyly and looked at her hands. "The look on your face… I could tell you loved me. I didn't have a name to go with the face at first. But it didn't matter. It gave me hope that someone, somewhere loved me. That I was more than just a homeless teen. That I mattered."

"We—Gwen…" Dipper paused. "You do matter. And… I do love you, still, after all this time. You disappeared without a trace, but I never gave up hope. Never." He reached out and held her hand.

Startled, Gwen quickly pulled her hand away. She noticed Dipper's crushed expression, and turned away from him. "I'm sorry, Mason… this is just overwhelming. For the past two years I've been having more and more flashbacks of you… remembering places… I didn't want to let myself believe that it was all real… I didn't want to be disappointed. But it is real, isn't it?" She touched the log they were sitting on, and glanced at the large tree nearby. "The bunker. The first time you said you loved me. We sat on this log afterward, and I told you that you were too young for me."

Dipper nodded. "Yeah. But when I visited the next summer, you had decided otherwise." He smiled at the memory, and his shock the first time he found out Wendy had feelings for him.

"There's a problem, though, Mason."

/

"So, this has been a really weird day," said Lexie, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen upon the room with Gwen's arrival and Dipper's immediate departure with her.

Wendy sat staring vacantly at the door, her face paper white. Aurora knelt down next to the stricken redhead, and gently took her hand.

"C'mon sweetie, let's get you a cup of tea," she said, leading an uncomprehending Wendy into the kitchen. Jessica glanced down at Pike, still passed out on the floor, and then followed them, a look of concern clouding her features.

Gideon sat on the loveseat with his legs crossed, and tapped his knees with the palms of his hands anxiously. Lexie laid her left hand over top of his right, interlacing her fingers with his, and gently squeezed. He stilled, as his cheeks took on a pink tinge.

Mabel grabbed her basket of yarn from next to the couch, and began furiously knitting. "Sooo…Gwen? Anybo—" she began, only to be cut off by Gideon.

"Do you think Pike really deals with demons?" Gideon asked, staring at the prone man, his brow furrowed. "I mean, Dipper is usually pretty spot on with figuring out supernatural stuff, and he's right when he says Pike is _way_ too powerful for a normal mortal practicing magic—well, one without a capital D Destiny, that is. Could he have seen something in his dream that convinced him? That Purgabit spell should have been impossible, for one. If I understand it correctly, he rid his body of every single toxin on a _cellular level_. I mean, how in the fuck?"

Mabel scowled. "I don't know what to think about Dipper's judgement lately. He had been in such a good mood this morning, too. I only bought him that game to try and cheer him up." Mabel looked down at her hands, her chin quivering. "It's my fault you guys nearly killed Toby Determined. I—I'm sorry, guys."

"Hey, sugar, you were just trying to make your brother happy," said Gideon gently. "We don't blame you. None of this was your fault, sweetie."

Mabel smiled slightly, and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

"So, I _have_ to know," said Pacifica, making eye contact with Gideon. "Why exactly were you guys trying to kill Toby Determined? I mean, Wendy shot him. She _shot_ him. And whatever spell you were working on was serious enough that Mama Corduroy decided it was worth risking her own safety to stop you from casting it."

Lexie felt Gideon begin to tremble. She squeezed his hand tighter, and cast a glance at Pacifica. "Want me to say something stupid and change the subject?" she mumbled, her voice low enough that only Gideon could hear her. He shook his head in the negative, the corners of his mouth turning up almost imperceptibly.

"I'm rightly glad that she _did_ stop me," said Gideon, loud enough for everyone to hear. "That was a spell I read about a long time ago… back when I was a psychotic little pig boy. I remember being interested in it, but I never actually tried to learn it… I was arrested before I had the chance." He paused, and pulled his hand from Lexie's grasp, wrapping his arms around himself. "The spell is based on the old medieval torture method of tying someone's limbs to four different horses, and having the horses walk in different directions, until the person is literally pulled apart. Only instead of using horses to do the pulling, you use magic." He shuddered. "I'm really, _really_ glad she stopped me."

Mabel's face was slightly green, and her knitting needles were hanging limply from her hands, as she nodded and said, "I think we're _all_ very happy that she stopped you. That's horrifying."

"And Lexie, I thought you were safe to be around people," said Pacifica, disgusted. "But you _bit_ him," she said, indicating to the limp body of Pike lying across the living room rug.

"Paz, that's not nice. You make it sound like Lexie's not a person," scolded Mabel.

Lexie felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up—the human equivalent of a wolf raising its hackles.

"It's fine, Mabel," she said, as she stood up. "I know nobody really trusts me or wants me around. I'll see myself out. I don't want to accidentally _bite_ anybody." With her hands balled into tight fists, she fled the room.

"Lex, wait!" Gideon cried after his friend. He shot a glare at Pacifica, and as he passed her on the way out of the room in pursuit of Lexie, Pacifica heard him mutter softly, "Bitch."

Pacifica just rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I was just asking a _question_ ," she said to no one in particular.

Mabel sighed. "Paz, they were all under some weird spell. Did you see how horrified Lexie was that she had bitten Pike?"

Pacifica shrugged. "I'm just glad we were out when they started playing their game. If we hadn't seen them chasing Toby, he'd probably be dead right now."

"You're right," said Mabel, tossing aside the knitting she'd been trying to work on without success. "But now I want to know who this Gwen character is who showed up. She _can't_ really be Wendy, can she? I mean, Wendy's here. Unless she's visiting from the future?"

"But she's the age that Wendy really _should_ be, since she was gone three whole years," Pacifica reminded her girlfriend.

"Ugh, this is all too weird, even for Gravity Falls," said Mabel, wincing. "Let's go talk to Wendy, Aurora, and Mrs. Corduroy—see if they have any idea what's going on, or who Gwen could be."

Pacifica helped Mabel to her feet, and they made their way to the kitchen, leaving Pike by himself, still passed out, spread eagle on the floor.

The scene in the kitchen that greeted the girls was pitiful. Wendy was slumped over the table, her head resting on her arms. A forgotten mug of tea sat steaming in front of her. Aurora and Mrs. Corduroy sat on either side of her, rubbing her back and smoothing her hair.

Hearing Mabel and Pacifica enter the room, Wendy looked up. Her face was red and blotchy, and her green of her eyes stood out vividly against the bloodshot whites.

"Do you guys have any idea who she is?" Wendy asked, her voice strained.

"We were coming in to ask you the same thing," said Mabel, shaking her head, as she and Pacifica took seats opposite the others.

Wendy slumped back to the table, her head hitting the wood with a soft thud.

"I mean, she looks just like you… do you think she could be you from the future, somehow?" asked Pacifica.

Aurora spoke in Wendy's stead. "We considered as much as well, but it doesn't make sense."

"Why not?" asked Mabel, cocking her head to the side.

Jessica Corduroy sighed. "If she were really future Wendy, she would have said as much, yeah? Because she would know how her visit affected present Wendy, and want to avoid the pain and confusion. Probably."

Pacifica held her hand to her forehead. "This is giving me a headache. If she's not from the future, is she a clone? I mean, it can't be the shapeshifter…" She shot Mrs. Corduroy a furtive glance.

The elder Corduroy rolled her eyes. "Yes, I made sure of that."

"I'm worried about Dipper," came Wendy's muffled voice from under her arms on the table. "She asked him to go with her and he just…went. No hesitation. What if he really thinks she's me? What—" her voice caught, as she struggled to hold back a sob. "What if she takes him from me?"

Mabel, Pacifica, and Jessica all quickly eyed Aurora, to see if the dragoness was going to blow a gasket at Wendy's assumption that Dipper was "hers," after all their fighting over him. Aurora's face was difficult to read. She looked angry, but not defensive. Her lips formed a tight, determined line, although there was sadness in her eyes.

"We will figure this out, Wendy," she said, rubbing the redhead's back lightly. "When Pike wakes up, we will tell him about Gwen and see what he thinks. I'm sure he will know what to do."

Jessica pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. "Speaking of Ollie, I'm going to go check on him. He's been out for quite a while." She left the room, only to return seconds later, her face white.

"He's gone," she said.

/

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, turning the forest into a maze of shadows.

"So you're saying Wendy is an imposter?" asked Dipper uncertainly, as he walked back toward his house side-by-side with Gwen.

"Well, she has to be, doesn't she?" countered Gwen. "I mean, I'm obviously who I say I am. I've aged for the proper amount of time I was gone. Did she ever attempt to explain how she didn't age?"

Dipper shrugged. "She said that no time had passed for her—she had been yanked out of our reality into a temporal pocket of some sort, and then popped back into our reality three years later, like nothing had happened at all."

"That's a bunch of bull," said Gwen. "She's obviously some kind of creature capable of changing form, but used old blueprints."

"You can't blame me for believing she was the real Wendy. She's even got her—your—mom and d—uncle convinced," said Dipper defensively. "Hey, I know an easy way to prove you're the real Wendy—we'll just have Aurora open a mind-link with you, like she had before you disappeared. Remember?"

"No," said Gwen, without any hesitation. "I am _not_ letting that skank in my head."

"What?" cried Dipper. "Why not?"

"I have given my memories a lot of thought, and I know she never really liked me. I think she may have had something to do with my disappearance. I don't trust her, and you shouldn't either," said Gwen coldly.

"But—"

Gwen stopped walking, turned to face Dipper, and held her hand to his cheek. Her emerald eyes seemed to glow in the twilight, as she stepped closer to him and said softly, "I'm here now, Mason. You _know_ what I'm saying is true." She leaned in so that she was cheek to cheek with Dipper, and whispered in his ear "You can feel it in your bones, can't you? Every fiber of your being is quivering, just from my touch. I'm Gwen Corduroy, the girl of your dreams."

Dipper shuddered involuntarily, feeling goosebumps rise all over his body at the sensation of her warm breath tickling his ear. Gwen noticed, and laughed—a musical noise that brought tears to Dipper's eyes with its beauty.

Gwen made a move to step back from Dipper, but before she could, his arms were around her, and his mouth was on hers. He kissed her forcefully and desperately, a kiss fueled by all the longing and heartbreak of the past three years. Her lips were soft and warm, and she tasted like honey. Dipper wanted the kiss to last forever.

Finally, Gwen pulled away. "That—that was intense," she said breathlessly. "I don't remember you ever kissing me like that before!"

Dipper gave Gwen a cheeky grin. "You're not the only one who's aged three years, you know."

Gwen took Dipper's hand, and they began walking again. "Kind of makes me wonder—" she said, then cut herself off abruptly.

"Makes you wonder what?" asked Dipper, his interest piqued.

"Um, heh. Well it makes me wonder… you were so young before so we never…" Gwen trailed off.

"Come on, Corduroy, spit it out," said Dipper with a grin.

"Sex," said Gwen abruptly. "That kiss… it reminded me of how much more mature you are now… and made me wonder what you'd be like in bed."

Dipper's heart was pounding, but he tried to sound confident as he said "Well, if you don't have a place to stay tonight, you can stay with me... and m-maybe find out?"

Gwen giggled. "I would love to. I mean, to stay with you… but how about we wait until we've really gotten to know each other again before we jump to boning?"

Dipper sighed. "Fine, I'll take the couch. I've been waiting three years… I guess I can wait a few more weeks."

/

The morning sun rose reluctantly, gray clouds obscuring most of its radiance, only allowing a weak suggestion of light to filter through. Wendy was also reluctant to rise. After she, Aurora and Jessica had arrived home last night to find Pike sprawled across the couch, once again passed out, she had gotten in her bed and cried herself to sleep, while Aurora, in a sleeping bag on Wendy's floor, pretended she couldn't hear.

Wendy didn't want to get out of bed, because if she stayed in bed, last night felt more like a bad dream than reality. She groaned and threw an arm over her eyes, as a thin strip of watery sunlight shone through the gap in her curtains, and hit her right in the face.

"Everything sucks," Wendy whined. "My life is like riding the tilt-a-whirl when I thought I was in line for the lazy river."

Aurora sat up sleepily. "What about a river?"

"Sorry, Rora," said Wendy. "I forgot you slept over. Thanks for that, by the way… I didn't expect so much empathy from you, since, you know… we've been fighting over Dipper."

Aurora shrugged, her face showing no hint of her emotions. "Common enemy, I guess?"

A clatter of pots and pans coming from the kitchen startled the girls. Wendy sat up in bed, and sniffed. Bacon? And… French toast? Jessica's idea of making breakfast was either pouring a bowl of cereal, or pressing down the lever on the toaster to make frozen waffles. She had never been particularly domestic. But then, neither had her uncle.

"Who's cooking breakfast?" Wendy questioned. "Mom and Uncle Ollie aren't cooking types."

"I dunno," said Aurora.

Wendy swung her feet over the side of the bed, and opened her door to investigate. She stopped, however, when she heard her mom's voice. She and Pike were chatting very friendly-like, which, of course, was fairly strange. Wendy tiptoed down the hall, and stood just outside the kitchen doorway to eavesdrop. She motioned for Aurora to follow her, but held a finger up to her lips. Aurora quietly slid against the wall next to Wendy, and they listened.

"Ollie, what has gotten into you?" asked Jessica. "You haven't cooked—that I know of, anyway—since…since before your brother and I started dating."

Wendy could actually _hear_ her mom's smile. She couldn't help it—she leaned stealthily around the corner of the door frame, and peered in.

Pike turned from the stove, a plate of bacon in his hands. Wendy nearly gasped aloud. He didn't look like her uncle. He looked _happy_. He was smiling, and it was a genuine smile, not the snarky shit-eating-grin he usually wore when he wasn't being broody. He sat the plate on the table, and bent over, giving Jessica a quick kiss on the top of the head.

"What in the—" Wendy whispered.

Jessica giggled. She actually giggled. And blushed. "Ollie!" she exclaimed, swatting him on the rear as he turned back to the stove to flip over the French toast.

Pike laughed, as he stood at the stove, piling the done pieces of French toast onto a plate. "Since when is it a crime to cook my two favorite girls a meal?" he asked.

"It's not a crime!" said Jessica. "Honestly, I welcome it! It's just a little out of character for you. You're acting like the Ollie I grew up with—not this 'Pike' asshole that came back from California. Can you please go to being full-time Ollie? I've missed him."

"I'm not acting like Ollie," said Pike, as he turned back to the table and sat the plate of French toast down. "I _am_ Ollie. And I've missed you, Jess."

Wendy wrinkled her brow in confusion, and then gasped, as her mom stood up from her seat at the table, and tackled Pike in a fierce hug. Wendy expected Pike to tense up and push her away, but he didn't. He hugged her back, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he was holding onto her. Wendy couldn't see his face, because he'd buried it in Jessica's shoulder.

"Are we still friends?" questioned Pike, his voice sounding vulnerable, almost childlike.

"I should be the one asking you that," said Jessica, her voice thick with emotion. "After what I did to you… I was a horrible person, Ollie."

Pike pulled back from Jessica, and held her at arm's length. His eyes were dangerously close to watering over, but he was smiling. "Jessie, I forgive you. I wish the circumstances had been different, but that's water under the bridge. You and I created something amazing. Without that night, there would be no Pippy." He leaned in and brushed Jessica's cheek lightly with his lips.

Wendy's stomach felt like it dropped to her feet. Aurora, concerned about Wendy's sudden loss of blood to the face, put a hand on the redhead's arm. She was trembling.

"Ollie… does this mean you're ready to tell her?" Jessica asked softly.

A pained look crossed Pike's face. "Jess, please trust me: it's really better that she not know right now."

"Too late," said Wendy low, her voice coming out hoarse after her night of crying. She stepped into the doorway, and looked from her mother, to Pike, her chin trembling at the effort not to burst into tears.

Pike stared at Wendy, his eyes wild. He looked nothing like the man who had just had his head buried in Jessica's shoulder. Everything about him was tense, and his easy smile was replaced by a look of horror.

Wendy looked like a lost little girl. "Uncle Ollie…" she said uncertainly. "D-dad?"

Hearing Wendy say "dad," directed at him sent a wave of emotion crashing over Pike. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"I—no, this wasn't supposed to happen," he stammered. He abruptly turned on his heel, bumping into the table in the process, and knocking the plate of French toast to the floor.

And he ran. Pike ran from his daughter. Out of the house, and into his Jeep. He roared out of the driveway, kicking up gravel. And he was gone.

Wendy sank to the floor, sobbing. She held her fist to her mouth, and rocked back and forth, tears forcing their way out of her clenched-shut eyes. If the universe was a cat, she was the poor mouse it tormented and played with, drawing out her suffering. Wendy couldn't take much more. She was ready for the universe to finally deliver the killing blow.

/

Mabel woke up to a soft knock on her bedroom door. She yawned and stretched, then hopped out of bed and opened the door. She stepped back, with one eyebrow cocked, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Pike, what—" she began, but he held a finger up to his lips, tiptoed into her room, and quietly closed the door behind him.

"I need a favor," whispered Pike. "Dipper doesn't trust me right now, which is why I'm asking you and not him. Why's he sleeping on the couch, by the way?"

"Gwen took his room," said Mabel crossly. "And I kinda get the whole 'not trusting you' thing. You just broke into our house."

"Did not," said Pike. "Awhile back Dipper showed me where you guys hide a spare key. Who's Gwen?"

Mabel's arms fell to her sides. "They—they didn't tell you about Gwen? You were passed out when she showed up, but I figured they'd have told you as soon as you woke up."

"Yeah, well it's been sort of a weird morning. Now who the hell is she?"

Mabel hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure how to word it. She took a deep breath, and finally spoke.

"Gwendolyn Corduroy."

Pike narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, what?"

Mabel sighed. "A college age girl who looks just like an older Wendy showed up last night. She says she _is_ Wendy, but she goes by Gwen now. She's the age Wendy should be… and… Dipper seems to think that she's the real Wendy, and the younger Wendy is an imposter."

Pike's face was blank. Mabel took a step back, unsure of what his reaction would be.

He laughed.

"Seriously, what in the fuck?" he said, throwing his hands up. "What in the actual ever-living motherfucking _fuck_?!"

"Are you going to try and figure out who's real, and who's the imposter?" asked Mabel, her brow furrowed.

"Haha! NOPE. I'm just—I'm done," said Pike, wiping tears of mirth out of the corners of his eyes. "Look, I'm getting ready to skip town, but I need to store something in your basement. I already took it down there, but I wanted to let you know."

Mabel scowled. "So you aren't asking for a favor so much as telling me I'm already doing you a favor."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," said Pike, giving a single nod. "Look kid, I know Dipper and crew don't want me around anymore. Plus, I don't much appreciate constantly being accused of dealing with demons. It's kinda getting old. But just in case your gang gets into shit you can't handle, here's my number." He held out a folded slip of paper. "I know Dipper would be too proud to call me and ask for help, but I'm not so petty that I wouldn't come save the day if needed."

Mabel plucked the paper from his fingers. "Well, thanks. Hopefully you won't be hearing from me."

Pike gave her an ironic salute, and turned to leave. He paused in the open doorway, and without looking back at Mabel, he said "Dipper's becoming reckless. Take care of him, please." And he walked away.

As Pike walked through the living room on the balls of his feet, so as not to wake the still sleeping Dipper sprawled on the couch, he heard a noise at the top of the stairs. He glanced up.

Gwen was standing on the upstairs landing in an old t-shirt and sweatpants of Dipper's. She made eye contact with Pike, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Nope," said Pike loudly, as he turned and clomped to the front door, slamming it behind him.

As he pealed out in his Jeep, Gwen looked out the window. Dipper sat up on the couch and rubbed his eyes.

"What was that?" he murmured sleepily.

Gwen smiled to herself. "It was nothing."

/

Gideon and Lexie decided that with everything going on with the Pines and Corduroys, they were going to spend the day by themselves, scarfing junk food, and watching tv.

"So who or what do you think Gwen really is?" Lexie asked Gideon, as their show paused for a commercial break. She grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl between them, and stuffed it all in her mouth.

Gideon frowned. "You don't think Gwen is who she says she is?"

"If she's really Wendy, then who is the Wendy we've been hanging out with for the past month?" asked Lexie through her mouthful of popcorn.

"How should I know, sugar?" asked Gideon. "She's even got Pike and Mrs. Corduroy fooled, though."

Lexie ran her fingers through her sandy-blond hair, looking perplexed. "So you think that someone as powerful as Pike is able to be tricked that easily? Wouldn't he have noticed that his niece is not really herself? I mean, they're living in the same house."

"Maybe he's in on it," said Gideon, his eyes lighting up. "Maybe she's a demon he's summoned!"

"To what end?" asked Lexie. "Gid, this is crazy talk. You're saying that not only do you believe Pike really does deal with demons, but he summoned one to take the form of his missing niece and try and get freaky with Dipper. What possible reason could he have for that?"

"It's difficult to decipher the motivations of evil people, sweetie," Gideon said, patting Lexie on the cheek. "I would know, as I used to be one. My guess would be that if Dipper and fake Wendy get together, Pike could use Wendy to control Dipper, and gain a powerful minion."

Lexie gritted her teeth. "Gid, you know I love you to pieces… but I still don't buy it. Gwen shows up out of nowhere, and you and Dipper just automatically believe that she's the real Wendy, when you never had any reason to suspect that our Wendy wasn't real…" Her eyes flashed yellow, and she held her hand to her forehead. "This conversation is giving me a headache. I don't want to argue with you. I'm gonna go."

"What—why?" asked Gideon, standing to follow Lexie to the door.

"Because I think there is something weird—er than usual going on, but no one else seems to see it, and I don't like it. I need to go for a run."

Gideon touched Lexie's shoulder, and she flinched. Without turning to say goodbye, she opened the door, and started down the front walkway at a brisk jog. Gideon stared after her from the doorway until she was out of sight.

/

Dipper and Gwen left the house mid-morning with the intent to walk around town and visit some of their usual haunts, in an attempt to trigger more memories for Gwen. Around lunchtime they found themselves near Greasy's Diner.

"Do you remember eating here?" asked Dipper, giving Gwen's hand a squeeze.

Gwen tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Vaguely. I think I liked the pancakes."

Dipper grinned. "They have the best pancakes. C'mon," he said, pulling Gwen to the entrance. "Fancy breakfast for lunch? My treat."

He didn't give her a chance to answer, just dragged her behind him through the door.

"Dipper, over here! It's me, your sister Mabel! I'm waving at you from across the diner!"

Mabel was sitting across from Pacifica, about to tuck into a turkey club. She waved them over, and moved to slide onto Pacifica's side of the booth, so Dipper and Gwen could sit across from them.

"Hey Mabes, Paz," said Dipper nodding his head. Before he could say more, Lazy Susan wandered up to the table to take their orders.

"Hey guys! Wendy, did you do something different with your hair? You look good. What'll it be today?"

"I'll have my usual, Susan," said Dipper.

"One short stack of pancakes, three strips of extra crispy bacon, and a glass of extra chocolatey chocolate milk, coming up," said Susan, writing the order onto her notepad. "What'll you have, hon?" she asked Gwen.

"You know, that actually sounds really good. I'll have the same," said the redhead. "And by the way," she said, as Susan began to walk away, "Please don't call me Wendy anymore. I'm going by Gwen now."

Susan blinked slowly. "Oookay…?" She shrugged, and made her way back behind the counter.

Gwen turned her attention back to her friends. They were all staring at her, slightly perplexed.

"Since when did you start liking your bacon extra crispy?" asked Mabel. "You always said Dipper likes his bacon dried out like jerky, and said it was gross. You made kind of a big deal about it every time he ate bacon in front of you."

"I—I did?" stammered Gwen. "I was gone three years," she continued, sounding more confident. "Tastes can change a lot in three years." She turned to Dipper and smiled. "Maybe I was remembering Dipper's bacon preference, and thought it was mine. Because I can't eat it any other way, now."

"Ugh. Gag me with a spoon," muttered Mabel, before taking a large bite of her sandwich.

Dipper narrowed his eyes at his twin. "What's your problem?"

Mabel held up a finger while she chewed. After a moment she swallowed, and took a drink of her water before speaking.

"Look, Gwen—no offense, but I'm just not sure about you. I mean, you show up, and immediately Dipper runs off into the woods with you, ignoring the two girls (one of whom _is_ you?) who have been fighting over him for weeks." She took a breath and continued. "And your story about losing your memory is just _awfully_ convenient, isn't it? OW! DIPPER! Don't kick me!"

"Mabel, I'm certain that Gwen is the real Wendy," said Dipper, throwing an arm around Gwen's shoulders. She leaned into him, and he kissed the top of her head.

Pacifica, who had been quietly watching the scene unfold, finally spoke up. "I think I believe her, Mabes."

"Why?" asked Mabel stubbornly. "Why are you both so sure that Gwen is who she says she is? And that the Wendy who we have spent the last month with is not? Wendy hasn't done anything odd to make us think she's not real—"

"Hellooooo?" interrupted Gwen in a singsong voice. "I _am_ right here. What kind of proof can I give you to make you believe me?"

Mabel sighed. "I don't know. I mean… Dipper, you're so _sure_. How are you so sure?"

"She just feels right," said Dipper simply.

Mabel leaned back and threw her hands up. "Fine, Dipper. I'll trust you."

Gwen smirked. "You're going with the right Corduroy, Mabel. You won't regret it."

/

Lexie didn't have a destination in mind. She just needed to run. Whenever she got agitated enough that she could feel her wolf instincts kick in, she knew that she needed to leave whatever situation had caused her feral nature to start to return. The movement of running helped, but mostly it was putting distance between herself and whatever had triggered her. It was highly upsetting to her that Gideon of all people had caused this occurrence—she had never had to worry about turning feral on him before.

 _It's that damn Gwen bitch. She shows up and Dipper forgets all about Wendy and Aurora—and Gid doesn't think that's fishy? Who the_ fuck _does she think she is, messing with my pack. I ought to tear her—NO. Down girl. Bad dog. No. Think happy thoughts. Steak. Uh…damn… is steak all that makes me happy? No. I have people who make me happy now. Gideon... and she's got everyone brainwashed, that redheaded, lumberjack, hippy-ass….grrrr. No. No. No. Stop._

Lexie was so absorbed in her own thoughts, that she didn't notice where she was. A vehicle passing her beeped its horn, startling her back into reality. She looked around. She was already at the outskirts of town, on the main road leading out of Gravity Falls. Ahead of her, the Jeep that had honked at her pulled over onto the shoulder. A head popped out the window.

"Hey, Osbourne, better watch where you're going! I don't want to have to tell your cousin you became roadkill!"

Lexie trotted up to the driver's side door and stopped. She held up a finger, and then put her hands on her hips as she bent over and tried to catch her breath.

"Pike," she said, finally, as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Charming, as usual."

"Where are you off to in such a hurry, little wolf?" he asked.

"Nowhere," replied Lexie. "Just running."

"Huh," said Pike. "You never really struck me as the running type. I figured you more for a MMA chick."

"I can do both," said Lexie, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ah. Well, I thought maybe you needed a ride somewhere, but since you're just out for a run—"

"Gideon thinks Wendy is a demon you summoned to seduce Dipper so you can control him through her." The words were out of Lexie's mouth before she realized what she was saying.

"He thinks… what now?"

"You heard about Gwen, right? The bitch who looks like a slightly older Wendy, and claims to actually _be_ Wendy?" asked Lexie.

Pike nodded. "I dropped something off at the Pines' a little bit ago. Got a look at her. Pretty freaky."

"What's freaky is how she showed up and immediately both Dipper and Gideon believe she's the real Wendy, for some reason. Which means they think our Wendy is fake." She looked down at her feet. "Gideon thinks you summoned her a month ago to try and gain some kind of control over Dipper."

"What. I—ha…hahahahahahaha!" Pike's laughter startled birds out of nearby trees.

Lexie stepped back, and raised an eyebrow. "Why is that funny?"

"Why in hell would I want to control Dipper? Kid's got issues," Pike said, still chuckling to himself. "Look—here's my stance on this whole Wendy/Gwen deal: It's not my problem. As far as who is real and who's the imposter? I'm pretty sure that the Wendy I made cry this morning at breakfast is the real one. But who knows? Maybe they're both real. Maybe they're both imposters. Again, not my problem."

"What's your deal, man? You're kind of being an asshole," said Lexie.

"Look, kid," said Pike, "I'm done with this town for awhile. Your friends all seem to think I like to make nice with demons. Which is totally not true. I like to whack them with blunt objects and/or stab them with pointy things. Frankly, I'm getting tired of the accusations. Also, Dipper's being a little bitch."

"Nice."

"Seriously. Is he not getting on your nerves?" asked Pike, a snarky grin on his face. "He needs to deal with shit and move on. Instead he drags this whole harem thing out, and now there's _another_ concubine? I don't want to see this play out. It's embarrassing."

"It is kind of awkward," admitted Lexie, smirking slightly.

"Look, if you want to hear from someone you know and trust that I'm one of the good guys and do, in fact, enjoy killing demons, not hanging out with them, then call your cousin," said Pike. "He'll set you straight. Then maybe you can beat some sense into Dipper and Gideon."

"I might just do that," said Lexie. "The calling thing, I mean. Not the beating. I don't want to accidentally turn my boys into werewolves. I doubt they could do that Purgabit spell. Though that might be useful for Gid someday…" she trailed off.

"Right," said Pike. "Well, Mabel has my number in case you kiddies get into some shit you can't handle and need rescuing. But for now, I'm gone." He turned back to face forward, and put his hands on the steering wheel.

"Okay," said Lexie. "See you once Dipper comes to his senses, then."

"Ha, so goodbye forever?" joked Pike. He turned to look at Lexie one more time, and this time his smile was replaced with a look of regret. "And…tell Wendy I'm sorry."

Before Lexie could ask what he was talking about, Pike pulled forward, and back onto the road.

/

After a lengthy fit of sobbing, Wendy looked up from the floor at her mother. Jessica felt like her daughter's gaze tore a hole through her. Without saying a word, Wendy was able to convey her betrayal, hurt, and anger.

Aurora paced the kitchen, feeling awkward and out of place. She rummaged through the unfamiliar cabinets, until she found the items needed to make Wendy a strong cup of tea. She turned and looked at the mother and daughter, staring silently at each other. She grabbed another mug. Tea would probably be beneficial for Jessica as well.

"No doubt you have questions," Jessica said low, finally breaking the silence.

Wendy scoffed. "You think?"

"Why don't you get up off the floor, and we'll talk about it?" suggested Jessica.

Wendy ignored the suggestion. "You cheated on da—Dan?" she asked, her voice faltering.

Jessica nodded. "I'm not proud of it. It happened while I was corrupted by the power of the rift. But as you overheard, it resulted in you—so while I regret how it happened, I don't regret _that_ it happened."

Wendy narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean you regret _how_ it happened? It sounds like you mean something more than just cheating."

Jessica flushed. She jumped as Aurora sat a mug of tea in front of her on the table. She had forgotten the other girl was in the room. Aurora handed Wendy her mug of tea, and then sat down next to her on the floor.

"I… was not a good person while under the influence of the rift," said Jessica. She lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip of the hot brew before continuing. "I used my powers to manipulate people… to bend them to my will. Ollie… he had been my best friend since we were little. Then I started dating Dan. Ollie became more and more distant with me. After Dan and I got engaged, I barely saw him anymore. Finally, the day of the wedding, I found out that Ollie was planning to leave town for good, right after the ceremony. I was furious."

"Oh. My. God. Mom, you didn't."

Jessica's hands were shaking so badly she had to sit her tea down. She couldn't look her daughter in the eye.

"I used my magic to put Ollie into a trance-like state…where I could…suggest things… and he'd do them. I thought if he slept with me, it would give Ollie a reason to want to stay in Gravity Falls."

Wendy's face had lost all color. "You raped him, mom. You raped your groom's little brother. On _your wedding day_."

Jessica looked at her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I was a horrible person. The rift had twisted me into someone unrecognizable. It turns out that was the reason Ollie had distanced himself from me. I thought he had been jealous of his big brother. But no, it was because I wasn't his best friend anymore. I wasn't the Jess he grew up with. He didn't like what the rift power had done to me, so he decided to leave. When I r-raped him, once he came out of the trance, it cemented even more in his mind that I wasn't me anymore. When I realized he was still going to leave, I tried to wipe his memory. I thought it had worked. But it turned out that he remembered. He remembered the monster I was, all these years."

For a moment, the only noise was Jessica's quiet sniffling as she wept. Finally, Wendy spoke again.

"You're sure I'm really from that…encounter? That I'm not just a honeymoon baby?"

Jessica nodded. "The first time Ollie came back to visit, you were just a toddler. Apparently he noticed right away that while you definitely looked like a Corduroy, you looked nothing like Dan. You also acted like a mini-Ollie. Of course, I always knew you were really his… from the day you were born. You opened your eyes and just stared at me—with Ollie's eyes.

"After the rift lost its hold on me, and I got settled in to my little apartment in Seattle, I got a letter from him. It was very brief, but he included official paperwork. Seems he had taken some hair from your hairbrush on that first visit when you were little, and had the DNA matched up against his own. Ollie's known for nearly your whole life that you're his daughter, Wen."

"Does da—Dan know?" asked Wendy. She didn't feel comfortable calling Dan her dad anymore, now that she knew he wasn't.

"He found out about the cheating when I showed back up three years ago. Being the horrible person I was, though, I told him it was Ollie who had seduced me. It made him much easier to turn against his brother if he thought Ollie had defiled me on our wedding day."

"I am judging you so hard right now," said Wendy bitterly. "But what I meant was: does he know I'm not really his child?"

Jessica sighed. "He never knew until after you disappeared. I decided to try and come clean with him, since the rift was no longer warping me. I'm afraid that's the main reason he took your brothers and went so far out into the wilderness to work at a remote logging camp. He didn't want me to 'corrupt' the boys. He did say that DNA or no, he raised you, and you'll always be his little girl."

Wendy smiled half-heartedly. "And yet he hasn't made any effort to contact me, even though I sent him a letter at the address you gave me. I guess I know why, now."

The three women sat in silence for a few moments.

"Why—sorry, I know I'm not really a part of this," said Aurora suddenly. "But why did Pike not want Wendy to know? He…it looked like he was terrified that she found out."

Wendy's lower lip quivered. "That's right… he just got done telling you he didn't regret what happened because of 'Pippy.' But he clearly didn't want me to know."

Jessica shook her head. "I honestly don't know why he didn't want you to know, sweetie. Especially now that Dan is out of the picture. I've been trying to talk him into us telling you the truth ever since you reappeared. He kept saying that it's best that you don't know right now. I never could get out of him what he meant by that."

"Where do you think he ran off to?" asked Aurora.

"Probably back to that Godsforsaken church of his in Seattle," suggested Jessica.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "He has his own church?"

"Well, former church," amended Jessica. "But yeah. He lives in an old repurposed church."

"Mom, are you going to try and call him?" asked Wendy. "I really want to talk to him…if he'll talk to me."

"If I've learned one thing in my thirty-eight years on this planet, it's that you have to give the Corduroy men time to cool off before trying to talk to them after an argument," said Jessica, smiling despite herself. "I'll call him early tomorrow, okay?"

Wendy nodded. "I'm gonna go lay down. I know I just got up… but shit happened and—well, you were there—you know." She stood up, and sat her half-finished mug of tea on the kitchen table. "Thanks for the tea, 'Rora. Sorry you've been sucked into the Corduroy soap opera."

"It is no problem at all, Wendy," said Aurora, with a shake of her head.

Wendy nodded and turned, trudging her way back to her bedroom.

She stopped in the doorway, and her stomach dropped, as she saw someone sitting on her bed.

"My room looks exactly how I remember it," said Gwen.

/

Mabel and Pacifica were lounging on the sofa in the Pines' living room, Pacifica reading a magazine and Mabel knitting, when there was a knock on the front door. Mabel sighed as she sat aside the half-finished sweater she was working on and got up to answer the door.

"Hey Gideon," she said, greeting the white-haired boy. "Dipper's not here right now."

"Oh, okay," said Gideon dejectedly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

"Hold it right there, mister," said Mabel sternly as she laid a hand on Gideon's shoulder. He turned back to look at her, one eyebrow raised.

"What's wrong? You seem upset. And where's Lexie? You two have been attached at the hip lately, so it's weird seeing you without her," said Mabel.

Gideon frowned. "I think Lex is mad at me. We had a disagreement about something, and she just took off running."

Mabel grabbed his arm and pulled him over the threshold. "Come on in and tell me all about it. I'm good at fixing relationship issues."

Gideon let himself be dragged into the living room, where he took his usual spot on the loveseat.

"Where's Lexie?" asked Pacifica as Mabel sat down next to her.

"That's what _I_ asked him!" said Mabel with a grin. "Great minds _do_ think alike."

Gideon rolled his eyes. "We were watching television, planning on spending the day together. Somehow or another our topic of conversation landed on the whole Gwen/Wendy situation. She got mad when I told her I think Gwen is the real Wendy, and told her my theory about who the Wendy we've been hanging out with _really_ is. She said she had a headache and needed to go for a run, and just…left."

"Wow," said Pacifica. "Running from a fight isn't Lexie's style. Usually she's the first person to pick a fight."

"Unless," said Mabel with a grin, "she's in love with the person she's arguing with, and doesn't want to accidentally hurt him."

"L-love?" stammered Gideon, flushing to the tips of his ears. "I…uh…she's my best friend… I mean I know she cares about me, but _love_?"

"That actually makes a lot of sense," said Pacifica. "And seriously, Gideon—if you can't tell that the bitch wants you, you have _not_ been paying attention. Like, at all."

"Which is really surprising," added Mabel. "Because everyone knows how into her _you_ are."

Gideon opened his mouth defiantly, and then, meeting Mabel's eyes, he snapped it closed. He looked down at his feet, and said quietly "Is it really that obvious?"

Mabel burst into a fit of giggles.

"Sweetie," said Pacifica, mimicking Gideon's accent, "it couldn't be any more obvious. I'm surprised she doesn't melt with the way you look at her."

"So what should I do?" asked Gideon.

"You ask her out, duh!" laughed Mabel.

"I—I'll figure that out on my own…maybe," said Gideon, his cheeks crimson with embarrassment. "What I meant was: what should I do about her running off from me? She's never been mad at me before. I don't know how to handle this."

"You give her time," said Mabel. She had a lot of recent experience in dealing with Dipper's temper, so she felt qualified to give advice. "Maybe call her or text her later tonight, or even tomorrow, if she doesn't get in touch with you first. But don't bring up the argument. And if she brings it up, apologize, even if you don't think you were wrong."

"That's the problem, though," said Gideon. "I _know_ I'm not wrong. I'm sure of it. And I know the topic is going to come up again… we can't have two Wendy's wandering around."

"What do you care about more: being right, or being on your girlfriend's good side?" asked Pacifica.

"She's not my girlfriend—"

"Yet," interrupted Mabel. "But if you want her to be, you should really follow our advice."

"What did you say about who Wendy really is that pissed her off so much, anyway?" asked Pacifica.

"That I think she's a shapeshifting demon summoned by Pike, to brainwash Dipper so that Pike can control Dipper and his magic," was Gideon's blunt response.

"Wow," said Mabel. "A demon? She hasn't seemed particularly demony to me. She kind of has too many feelings and cries a lot."

Pacifica shot a look at Mabel. "I thought you said you agreed that Gwen is the real Wendy."

Mabel shrugged. "I really don't know. But you all seem so sure, I'm going to trust that you've noticed something I haven't. Seems like the only one still on Wendy's side is Aurora…strangely enough."

Gideon leaned forward and rubbed his hands together, his angst about his argument with Lexie forgotten. "So what should we do about Wendy, then?"

Mabel raised her eyebrows. "Do? We're not going to _do_ anything."

Gideon scoffed. "So you're okay with just letting a demon run around with Aurora, and try and get with your brother?"

"That's just your theory, though," said Mabel. "We don't know for sure. What if you're wrong, and we end up hurting Wendy?"

"Wow, Mabes. For saying you trust our instincts that Gwen is the real Wendy, you seem to be awful concerned about us being wrong," said Pacifica. "You don't really trust us at all, do you?"

"I… I don't know!" cried Mabel, holding her head in her hands. "I'm just really confused about everything, and I'm worried about my brother, and I just want everything to go back to normal!"

"Sugar," said Gideon with a wry grin. "When has _anything_ around here _ever_ been normal?"

/

"What are you doing in my room?" asked Wendy, her voice shaking, and dangerously low.

Gwen tossed her head back and laughed. "Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing!"

Wendy balled up her fists at her sides. "Who are you? Why are you pretending to be me?"

Gwen's smile was falsely sweet. "Why are you so convinced that I'm pretending? I mean, how do I know you're the genuine article? You were missing for three years and didn't age at all! Are you some sort of robot clone?"

Wendy stared at Gwen blankly. "What."

"You heard me," sneered Gwen. "What makes you think you're really Wendy Corduroy? Someone could have built an android replica and implanted my memories in it. Maybe that's why I woke up with amnesia and needle marks—someone stole my memories and put them into you!"

"You—I—that's ridiculous!" Wendy spluttered. "I know I'm real. And I know you are _not_ me, because I'm not a bitch."

"Woah, claws out now, huh? Did I strike a nerve, my little robot replica?"

"Shut up!" screamed Wendy. She was beyond her breaking point. "Shut your filthy whore mouth, and get the FUCK out of my house!"

"Alright, I'll leave," Gwen said sweetly. "I guess I'll just sleep over with Dipper again tonight. He seemed to like having me there."

Wendy couldn't even make words. She just screamed, and launched herself at Gwen, her mean right hook colliding with Gwen's nose, which responded with an audible crunch of bone and cartilage.

Having heard the screaming, Jessica and Aurora came running, and stopped outside of Wendy's room, mouths agape at the sight of Gwen covered in blood and holding her hand over her nose.

"What—?" was all Jessica could say before Gwen interrupted.

"Hi mom, Aurora. I was just leaving," she said, her voice eerily calm. "Watch your backs with this one," she said, indicating with her thumb to Wendy. "She's got a violent temper."

Gwen sidled past Jessica and Aurora, and left.

Jessica turned to Wendy. "What was that about? I didn't even hear her come in!"

"Mom, she said I'm not real," said Wendy, her fists still clenched tightly, knuckles white. "She said I'm a robotic replica implanted with her memories. Am I real?" A few silent tears slipped from her eyes as she looked at her mother questioningly.

"Oh, baby, of course you're real," said Jessica, rushing across the room and enveloping Wendy in a tight hug. "I don't know who _she_ is, but she's not mine. You are. I wish Ollie hadn't left in such a rush. We need to get to the bottom of who this Gwen character is."

"Sorry I overheard and made him leave," said Wendy softly into her mother's shoulder. "It's my fault."

"Wendy, his departure was not your fault—you are not responsible for the actions of another," piped up Aurora, still standing in the doorway.

Wendy sniffled. "Why does my life in particular suck so much?"

Jessica rubbed her back, and then pulled away. "The women in our family lead complicated existences. But things will get better, honey. I promise."

Wendy chuckled wetly, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don't go making promises you can't keep."

/

Half an hour after Gwen left the Corduroy cabin, Wendy and Aurora's phones trilled their text message tones simultaneously.

"That's strange," said Aurora. "It looks like… oh. It's a group text. From Dipper."

Wendy opened her messages, and read Dipper's missive.

 **I saw what you did to Gwen, Wendy. You broke her nose. What the hell is your problem? You both need to give me some space. With Gwen showing back up, I have a lot to deal with, and I can't play your little games right now. I don't even know who you really are, Wendy. I guess you're a liar, just like Pike. I just need you to stay away while I figure things out. Aurora, you can come home, but please leave me and Gwen alone. She and I have a lot of catching up to do. And please don't respond to this message. If you do, I won't read it.**

Wendy's phone slipped out of her hand as it fell limply to her side. Aurora sniffed and blinked quickly, trying not to cry.

"That's not our Dipper," said Aurora softly. "What has she done to him?"

"I don't know," replied Wendy. "The only person with any chance of figuring it out ran away from me this morning. I really wish he was here right now."

/

Pike shouldered the heavy wooden door shut, blocking out the glaring afternoon sun. He leaned back against the cool wood, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He closed his eyes, and lightly banged the back of his head against the door. He had meditated almost the whole way home, to avoid becoming upset while driving. He let go of his restraint, and let the events of the morning come flooding back to him.

"What the hell have I done?" he asked no one, his voice echoing through the vast, sparsely furnished stone hall. He kept picturing Wendy's face, as she called him dad. The questioning, unsure tone to her voice. The broken look that crossed her face after he had stupidly said _out loud_ "This wasn't supposed to happen."

His Pippy. He knew, as soon as he saw her—a chubby, sweet-faced, sticky-fingered toddler with his eyes, and his stubborn streak. The DNA test had only confirmed what he already knew to be true. He had a daughter. With his brother's wife. He wanted desperately to be a part of her life, but didn't want to risk Dan finding out the truth—so he watched his little girl grow up from a distance. A visit here and there. Some Christmases together. He had wanted to tell her. To sweep her up in a hug, and protect her from all the bad things in the world. But he couldn't. He had to settle for being Uncle Ollie.

And then the Powers, with their stupid vendetta, had to ruin everything. Now would be the perfect time to tell her, because Dan finally knew, and Jessica was no longer a raging psycho bitch. But the Powers wanted him dead. He knew his days were numbered, and even though it broke his heart to not tell Wendy that she was his daughter, it had been for the best. When he died it wouldn't hurt as much. Losing an uncle is not the same as losing a parent. He couldn't tell her, knowing his death was imminent.

But she found out anyway.

Pike held his hands to his head. He didn't even know what had happened in the kitchen leading up to Wendy barging in. Everything was a blur. His last solid memory was of performing a brutal detox spell that completely wiped him out. His next solid memory was of Wendy calling him dad. Something wasn't right.

Thirsty, Pike pulled himself off the floor, and went to look in his fridge. Nothing but cases of beer and moldy takeout leftovers greeted him when he opened the door. He reached for a beer, then pulled his hand back. No. He was someone's dad now. Officially, because she knew. He couldn't drink all his cares away like he used to. Now, rather than wanting everything to just end, he wanted to prolong his life, to keep Wendy from having to mourn the father she only just found out about. Instead, Pike shut the fridge and got himself a glass of water.

He sank down onto his couch, and took a sip of water. He thought back to the kitchen that morning, trying desperately to recall how it came to be that Wendy found out. Jessica was there. He vaguely remembered her laughter. And… a hug? Had he hugged Jess? And then, as clear as day, he remembered Wendy's eyes, as she called him dad.

Pike threw his glass of water across the room, where it shattered against the wall.

"What the hell did I _DO_?!"

He stared at the glistening shards on the floor, but he didn't really see them. All he saw was Wendy's face, chin trembling. "…Dad?" she had asked.

Pike shook his head. He was going to drive himself crazy. He sighed and stood up off the couch, with the intention of getting a broom to sweep up the broken glass. He stopped when he noticed the little red light on his answering machine blinking. Pike pressed the button to play back the message. What he heard was completely unexpected.

"Hey Pike, it's me. Look… I know it's been few years since we've talked, but I'll be in Seattle in a few weeks and I was wondering if I could see you? Let me know. I miss you, Pike."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 21: Crushed

/

 **SHOUTOUTS! MorgothII, TGGDSD, NecroticHate, scroghmc, pittbuck, Ultimate Spider Girl, LimboticMistisos, D0TBLACK, fereality, and Guest.** Thank you guys so much for taking the time to leave me a review. And Thank you to everyone that kept coming in to read while I was on hiatus. It was pretty awesome to see that I was still getting views even though I hadn't posted in two months. I will try my hardest to make sure that I'm not gone that long again.

 **Special thanks to Geekngroom** for being so supportive and helping me write this mess, even though she says I torture my characters too much. **And TGGDSD** I really am looking forward to seeing where this cameo goes, thanks for including me in your tale.

Go Check out these two authors stories. **Gravity Falls: Worlds Apart** & **A Spark of Hope**. Some high quality stuff right there.

Please feel free to send me a PM if you have and Questions/Comments/Concerns I would love to hear from you.

/

Peace


	21. Crushed

***Warning* This Episode Contains Material that Younger Viewers May Find Inappropriate.**

 **Viewer Discretion Is Advised.**

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

 **Crushed**

"Okay, I give up, Pines. Why'd you drag me all the way out here?" asked Pacifica. "I mean, Gideon, I get. Because 'bros' or whatever—but why'd you want me to tag along?" She hugged herself, and wrapped her purple scarf more tightly around her neck. In the two weeks since Gwen's arrival and Pike's departure, the weather had gone from pleasantly cool, to bitingly cold.

Gideon leaned against the stone table in a sturdy gray pea coat and fingerless gloves. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "It _is_ kind of chilly to be draggin' us through the woods without tellin' us why, sugar."

Dipper, who was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and seemed oblivious to the temperature, climbed up onto the slab of stone, and sat cross-legged.

"Sorry for all the secrecy, guys," he said. "With everything going on, and Aurora siding with that _thing_ who says it's Wendy, I don't trust that she's not trying to prod into my thoughts. I also didn't want Lex or Mabel to overhear us, because, well…you know."

Pacifica scoffed. "I honestly don't know what Mabel's problem is. She keeps saying she trusts us about Gwen, but she refuses to consider that something needs to be done about fake Wendy. I know she's been spending time with Aurora and fake Wendy at the Corduroy house. I think they're brainwashing her."

"Same with Lexie," said Gideon with a nod. "It's like she isn't capable of a civil conversation anymore. Any time we're talking, and the subject strays to Gwen and fake Wendy, she gets really riled up, and she runs off. I miss her. This fake Wendy situation has to be resolved somehow, and soon."

Dipper smiled. "That is exactly what I brought you out here to discuss. I don't know who fake Wendy really is, but she's caused nothing but trouble in our relationships ever since Gwen came back."

"Where is Gwen, anyway?" asked Pacifica. "Shouldn't she be here while we discuss this?"

"She's actually on a mission of her own this morning," said Dipper. "She's going to try and talk to her mom, and show her that she's been brainwashed by fake Wendy. I think the others will wake up and side with us if they realize that Gwen's mom no longer believes that the fake is really her daughter."

Gideon nodded, and scratched his chin. "That's a good plan—but what are we going to do ultimately? About the demon Pike summoned to seduce you?"

Pacifica looked slightly uneasy. "You're sure fake Wendy's really a demon, Gid?"

"I'm almost positive," said Gideon. "I mean, she'd had us all utterly convinced that she was the real Wendy until Gwen finally showed up. She must be pretty powerful to have done that—especially to be able to convince Mrs. Corduroy so completely."

"Exactly my thought, Gid," said Dipper. "And if she's that powerful, it'll likely be difficult to make her leave. Instead, we need to start thinking of a way to rid ourselves of fake Wendy…permanently."

/

Jessica Corduroy sat by herself in a booth at Greasy's, enjoying her Saturday morning coffee. When she wasn't teaching, she had spent much of the last two weeks consoling a heartbroken Wendy. It felt good to get away. Aurora was with Wendy, so Jessica knew she'd be okay for at least a bit.

Trying to help Wendy heal had left Jessica no time to cope with her own emotions about Ollie's sudden behavioral 180, and the ensuing panic, which led him to flee. It left her feeling absolutely crushed. For ten glorious minutes, Ollie was himself again—her childhood best friend. And then he was gone, just like that.

Jessica lifted her coffee to her lips, and sighed, before taking a sip. She didn't know what to do. Ollie wasn't answering her calls or texts, nor was he responding to Wendy's. She knew how reckless he could be when upset, and he had been very upset.

"Hey, mom!"

Jessica nearly choked on her coffee, as Gwen Corduroy slid into the booth across from her.

After a small coughing fit, Jessica managed to gather enough breath to choke out "Leave me alone."

"Aw, mom, why're you being like this?" cooed Gwen, musically. She reached across the table to grasp Jessica's hand, and was miffed as the older woman pulled it out of her reach.

"I am _not_ your mother," said Jessica, low, her hazel eyes flashing.

Gwen's lower lip quivered. "Why would you say something like that?" she asked. "That _thing_ that's been living with you must have corrupted your mind somehow."

"No, that _thing_ is my daughter, Gwendolyn Corduroy," spat Jessica. "I don't know who or what you are, but I sure as hell know what you aren't."

"Mason believes me," said Gwen, defensively.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Of course he does. _Dipper_ is becoming more and more corrupted by the rift. The way he channels pure rift energy… a dark power would find him especially easy to manipulate right now."

Gwen pouted. "I am not some 'dark power'! Gideon and Pacifica both believe me, too!"

"Yes, I'm sure they do," murmured Jessica. "They're good kids now, but they haven't always been. They've both known darkness, and been corrupted by it before. They would be easy pickings."

Gwen smiled smugly. "If that's the case, why doesn't the feral bitch believe me? She's got plenty of darkness in her background!"

Jessica wanted to smack the smile right off of Gwen's face, but came across as calm as she said "Lexie used to be feral, yes. But there is a difference between being wild and being evil. She has worked hard to overcome her feral nature. In her heart, she is good."

"You just have an answer for everything, don't you _mom_ ," spat Gwen. "You _would_ know about evil, wouldn't you? And the power of the rift's corruption?"

Jessica opened her mouth to speak, but Gwen cut her off.

"If you think those with evil pasts are easily manipulated, look to yourself. You are the most selfish, evil, cold-hearted monster I have ever known. You manipulated people just because you _could_. You brainwashed your own family. And you tried to kill _my_ boyfriend."

Gwen stood up and towered over Jessica—then suddenly, smiled. "I don't even know why I bothered," she sang out, almost cheerfully. "Being the evil bitch you are, you don't have a maternal bone in your body, do you? First you ran off dad, then Uncle Ollie. Now you're running me off." Her smile disappeared as quickly as it had come on. "No one loves you. You are unlovable."

Gwen turned and walked off in a huff, leaving Jessica Corduroy sitting in front of her mug of now luke-warm coffee, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. She was evil. Why had she ever thought she could be any different?

She felt like a cold, iron fist had clamped around her heart.

"I guess I should go back to just being myself," she said into her coffee. And she smiled.

/

"C'mon, please pick up…please," pleaded Wendy, holding her phone to her ear.

"Hey, you've got Pike. I'm not sure what you were planning on doing with me, but I suggest leaving a message."

Wendy screamed in frustration and threw her phone across the room.

"You are going to end up breaking your phone," said Aurora quietly, as she crossed the room to retrieve it.

"What do you care," said Wendy, flopping face-down on her bed. "I'm surprised you're not off trying to stake your claim on Dipper. I still don't understand why you've been so nice to me lately."

Aurora sighed. She sat on the edge of Wendy's bed, and stroked the redhead's long, flowing locks.

"Dipper does not want me around right now, and frankly, I do not want to be around him. He's been behaving more and more erratically ever since Gwen showed up. I'm actually kind of scared of him."

Wendy turned her head so she could look at her old friend. "It seemed like you started acting differently about me even before Gwen showed up, though. And _when_ she showed up, you still believed that I'm the real Wendy, without hesitation. Why?"

Aurora stood up, and crossed the room to Wendy's dresser, rearranging the small knick-knacks on top. "When Dipper was trapped in his dream by the Sandman, do you remember how, as a last resort, I tried to reach out and reconnect with his mind?"

"Yes," said Wendy. "You weren't able to, and you got so upset you cried about it."

Aurora turned back around to look at Wendy, with tears in her eyes, and a sad smile on her face.

"That is not why I cried," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I cried because I connected with your mind."

"What?!" asked Wendy, sitting up straight.

"It was only for a moment," continued Aurora. "I had forgotten that as Dipper's mate, your mind had been open to me, too. The…the feelings you were feeling… you seemed calm on the outside, but inside you were screaming. I was hit with a wave of your sadness, betrayal, and heartbreak—and at the base of it all, your love." Aurora sniffed, and wiped a single tear from her cheek. "I could tell how genuinely you loved Dipper—not just romantically, but as your best friend. And I remembered that after three years, Dipper had still been waiting for you. The only reason he considered finally giving up on you is because I had talked him into it. I felt like a monster."

"'Rora," said Wendy quietly.

"Please let me get this all out," said Aurora, holding out a finger to shush the redhead. "I've needed to say it for a while, but didn't know how… The only reason Dipper felt like he had to choose between us, is because I guilted him into it. I've seen into the depths of his mind, Wendy. And it is you. It has always been you. This became even more evident to me when we played that cursed game… We were both there, but Dipper's character barely looked at me… and—I am sure you know what I am talking about, even if you've been too polite to rub it in my face—I came upon you and Dipper, on the forest floor, ready to…you know."

Wendy blushed furiously, and looked down at her feet.

"Once we were rescued from the game by Pike," continued Aurora, "I decided that I would no longer try to come between you and Dipper. It hurts me to let go of him. But when I accidentally entered your mind, I know that you are hurting worse than I am—to the depths of your soul. Because you and Dipper are meant for each other."

Wendy looked up at Aurora, with tears streaming down her face. She couldn't think of anything to say, so she leapt off the bed, and hugged Aurora tightly. Both girls openly wept as they held each other. Finally, they parted, their eyes bloodshot, faces red and blotchy.

Aurora handed Wendy her phone. "Try calling Pike again. I think he's the only one who will be able to get through to Dipper—to make him see that Gwen is not who she says she is."

Wendy wiped her eyes on her sleeve and nodded. She sat back down on her bed, and dialed the familiar number, hoping against hope that he would pick up this time.

/

The streetlights caused brilliantly colored light to filter down onto the rumpled sheets of Pike's bed through the stained-glass windows—the only light in the darkened former church. He rolled over, into a soft, warm body.

He put his arm around her, and she turned and nuzzled into him.

"I can't sleep," she mumbled, her breath hot against his chest.

Pike grinned to himself. "I know something that would wear you out," he said softly.

She giggled, her breath tickling him. "Again? You're insatiable, you know that?"

Pike tilted his face down and kissed the top of her head. Her hair smelled like strawberries.

"When it comes to you, yeah. I am." He used his free hand to trail his fingers lightly down her torso. He heard a hitch in her breath, and could feel goose bumps rising beneath his touch. He trailed his fingers back up, until he reached her breasts. He laid his hand over the center of her chest, and felt her heart beating wildly, like it was trying to escape.

She moaned softly and dug her nails into his muscular shoulders as he began kissing her throat, working his way back down to her rapidly rising and falling chest. He paused, and laid his head in the hollow between her breasts, so he could listen to her heartbeat.

"Your heart…here…so close to mine," he said low, "is the most precious thing in the world to me. It's been so long…"

"Too long," she murmured, as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I'd forgotten how amazing you are."

Pike lifted his head, and grinned into her shining eyes. "Let me remind you again."

He brought his mouth down on hers in a passionate kiss, which she reciprocated enthusiastically.

Pike moved on his lover at a slow, deliberate pace, relishing the sensation. He fit her as if they had been cast as matching pieces from the same mold. The heat she was giving off was intense, and as she met him, thrust for thrust, Pike decided he knew what heaven must feel like.

As the lovers neared their peak, she surprised Pike by suddenly rolling him over, so that she was atop him. She sat up, straddling him, and in the darkness, he could see the silhouette of her head thrown back in ecstasy as she rode him to an explosive finish.

She collapsed atop him, panting, and he buried his face in her hair, now damp with the sweat of their combined passion.

"Gods, I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Ollie," Jess murmured.

The door, once so strongly sealed, appeared. Only one small padlock remained to keep it closed, and it was covered in cracks, through which leaked a blinding light. Pike cried out and held his arm over his eyes, as a wave of noise echoed through the room. A child's laughter, a defiant scream, the soft strums of an acoustic guitar.

And someone, or something, behind the door knocked.

…

Pike's eyes flew open, jolted out of his slumber. Still disoriented from his dream, he rolled off the sofa, and collapsed in a wide-eyed heap on the hardwood floor.

He took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled to try and calm himself, as he wondered aloud:

"What the _fuck_ was _that_?!"

/

Lexie sat on the loveseat in the Pines' living room, eyes focused on the screen hanging on the wall, fingers twitching on the video game controller in her hands. Mabel sat on the sofa opposite her, knees pulled up to her chest, as she knitted something fuzzy and blue.

"I don't know what to do, Mabel," said Lexie, without taking her eyes off her game. "Every time I've tried to hang out with Gideon since this Gwen bitch showed up, she and 'fake Wendy,' as he calls her, are all he'll talk about. I've tried changing the subject. I've tried just staying silent. And of course, I've tried talking sense into him—nothing helps."

"You could try pretending to agree with him, like I've been doing with Dipper and Pacifica," suggested Mabel with a shrug. "I don't know what to tell you, Lex. Maybe distract him with your womanly wiles?"

Lexie grinned and snorted. "That's not going to happen. So wait, you've been lying to them so they think you're on Gwen's side? Why?"

"Because I don't know what else to do," said Mabel, with a sigh. "I miss Dipper, and if I pretend that I'm siding with Gwen, it's almost like old times. And Paz is less bitchy when I agree with her."

Lexie paused her game, and looked Mabel in the eye. "What about when they inevitably decide that because she's a 'demon,' they need to put her down?"

Mabel looked back down at her knitting, avoiding Lexie's level gaze. "I don't know," she said quietly.

As if talking about them had summoned them, Dipper, Gideon, and Pacifica came strolling into the house, accompanied by a blast of cold air. Mabel pressed her lips together in a thin line, and tried to focus on her knitting, while Lexie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and glued her eyes back on the tv screen.

"Oh, hey sugar!" said Gideon to Lexie, plopping down on the loveseat beside her. "I didn't know you'd be here!" He leaned in to give Lexie a side-hug, and she had to fight against her instinct to stiffen up.

"Hey Gid," said Lexie, without any emotion in her voice. "I felt the need to kill something, so Mabel said I could come over and play games."

"Isn't that…nice," said Gideon, withdrawing his arm slowly.

"Where were you guys, anyway?" asked Mabel.

"Just out for a walk," said Pacifica nonchalantly.

"Since when do you go on walks with my brother and Gideon?" asked Mabel, an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry we stole her from you, sis," said Dipper, as he began climbing the stairs. "I needed to talk to them about what to do about the demon Pike summoned, and since you're not a fan of the subject, I figured I wouldn't drag you along." He trotted the rest of the way up the stairs, and emerged from his bedroom a moment later with his Journal.

"The demon?" said Mabel, playing dumb.

"Fake Wendy," said Pacifica, rolling her eyes.

"I was hoping the Journal would have something in it about how to get rid of demons," said Dipper, as he returned to the room, and sat in an armchair, flipping through the pages.

Lexie let out a low growl. Gideon turned and realized that although she still had her eyes glued on the tv screen, they were vacant, and her character was standing still while enemies ran at it.

"Pike didn't summon a demon," said Lexie, still staring straight ahead, her voice dangerously soft. "And Wendy is not _fake_."

"Riiiight," said Dipper condescendingly. "Sorry, I forgot you're an expert on demons. Oh wait—you're not."

Lexie gripped the videogame controller so tightly her knuckles were white.

"What makes you think you know better than Gideon or Dipper, who both have actual, real-life experience with demons?" asked Pacifica.

Lexie's hands were now shaking. "My cousin from California, Oz. He knows Pike through a mutual friend. Apparently they go way back. And when I called him to see if Pike could be trusted, he said 'absolutely.' He said that Pike tends to do the opposite of summoning to demons he comes across."

Gideon laid a hand on her shoulder. "You're sure you can trust your cousin?"

Dipper scoffed. "Oh come ON Gideon, don't be stupid. If he's a friend of Pike's, of course he's going to say Pike's one of the good guys."

Lexie finally turned her face away from the tv, and glared at Dipper. "You've turned into a real fucking asshole, you know that, Pines?"

Dipper opened his mouth to respond, when the front door banged open, and a blast of icy air filled the room.

"Woo, is it cold out there!" sang out Gwen cheerfully, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. When she was met with silence, she glanced around the room, at the tense, glaring teenagers. "Am I interrupting something?"

Dipper stood up as Gwen walked toward him, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him.

"Nothing important," he murmured, before giving her a deep, lingering kiss.

"We were just talking about how we need to get rid of your imposter," said Gideon eagerly, standing up from the loveseat.

CRACK.

Everyone turned toward the source of the noise: Lexie. Her eyes were bright yellow. She had snapped the videogame controller in half. Her breath began coming ragged, as the low crunch of bones shifting could be heard.

Gideon's eyes widened as he watched his best friend, for the first time he could remember, begin to shift into her lupine form without meaning to. He'd never seen her lose control.

The horror on Gideon's face is what sent her over the edge. In her last few seconds of human consciousness, she bolted for the door, running for all she was worth. She hadn't lost control like this since before coming to Gravity Falls. Once she was outside, she couldn't hold it back any longer— Lexie went full wolf, her clothes dropping to the ground, ripped to shreds.

As the stunned group watched her escape into the woods from behind the safety of the Pines' living room window, Gwen smiled, and waggled her fingers at the werewolf.

"Bitch, bye."

"So," said Dipper, turning his back to the window, and looking at his friends. "How are we going to go about killing fake Wendy?"

Pacifica, Gideon and Gwen all enthusiastically started offering ideas and suggestions. No one noticed Mabel leaving the room, with her cell phone and a folded piece of paper in her hand.

/

Pike groaned and covered his head with a pillow. He'd been a wreck ever since his return from Gravity Falls. He hadn't left his church once in two weeks. The furthest out the door he'd gotten was to the front steps to pay the pizza or Chinese food delivery person.

Guilt gnawed at his gut whenever he thought of Wendy, which was often, as she and her mother had been calling and texting his cellphone nonstop. There had been many times when he held his phone, thumb hovering over the answer button, only to curse and toss it aside. He didn't know what to say to Wendy to make this better. And her texts, which he read, but didn't answer, were heart-wrenching. She said she wasn't mad at him. She just wanted to get to know him as her dad. Begged him to text her, call her, or come back to Gravity Falls. She spilled her heart out to him about the Gwen situation, and about Dipper's insistence that she wasn't real.

Pike knew how much she was hurting, but he also knew that if he started being a dad to her, the hurt she would feel once the Powers were through with him would be far more intense than her current pain.

The only thing that kept him from completely losing it, was the message. _Her_ message. She was coming to see him—soon. He hadn't seen her in years. She was the woman who had single-handedly changed his life, and brought him into the demon-slaying fold. They had burned down a high school gymnasium because it was full of vampires. They had grown apart when she moved away, but he'd always kept tabs on her. Just hearing her voice on the answering machine had been enough to make his whole body tingle, and give him a momentary feeling of complete bliss. To actually be in her presence would be heavenly. And now, she wanted to see him again.

Pike's stomach did a nervous flip-flop as his phone rang. He was half excited that it might be his vampire slayer, half worried that it was Wendy or Jess again. He reached for his phone, and his eyebrows twitched upward in surprise. Why was Mabel Pines calling him?

"I told you to only call if it's an emergency, kid," said Pike, in lieu of hello. "Somebody better be dying."

Mabel sniffled on the other end of the line. It sounded like she was crying.

"Oh shit, is somebody actually dying?" asked Pike.

"It's Wendy… Pike, they've decided she's a demon. They're going to kill her."

Pike's blood ran cold. "I'm on my way," he said. Within five minutes he was on his motorcycle, racing back toward Gravity Falls.

/

"Who were you just on the phone with?" asked Pacifica, sounding irritated.

Startled, Mabel jumped. She slid her phone into her pocket, and turned around to face her girlfriend, who was standing in the doorway of Mabel's bedroom.

"I…uh…" stammered Mabel, unsure of what to say.

"Have you been crying?" asked Pacifica, walking forward and touching the damp trail on Mabel's cheek.

"A little," murmured Mabel. She sniffled, and sat down on her bed.

"What's wrong?" asked Pacifica, sitting next to her, placing a hand on her girlfriend's knee.

Mabel sighed and looked Pacifica in the eye. "Truthfully, Paz? I'm scared."

"Scared? What are you scared of?"

"Please don't hate me," said Mabel softly. "But I don't like Gwen. I know I said I trusted you guys, but you're talking about _killing_ Wendy. Paz, what if you're wrong? What if you're being brainwashed? If you're wrong, you'll have committed _murder_. Wendy is my friend. She's done nothing to make me think she's a demon."

Pacifica narrowed her eyes. "I _knew_ you didn't trust me."

"Paz—wha— _that's_ what you got out of that?" stammered Mabel, bewildered. "If you're wrong you will have MURDERED an innocent person—our friend—Dipper's… well, I'm not sure if I can call her his girlfriend, but do you realize how destroyed you would all be if you killed her, only to find out that she was the real Wendy? I'm afraid Dipper would become suicidal."

Pacifica frowned. "But Gwen—"

Mabel grabbed Pacifica by the shoulders, and shook her. "Forget about Gwen! Paz, before she showed up, no one had ever considered that Wendy might not be real. Then she shows up, and suddenly Wendy's a demon? That makes no sense! Please—please, just forget about what Gwen tells you. In fact, stay away from her." Tears were flowing freely down Mabel's cheeks now. "Please, Pacifica. I love you, and I'm scared. Please…"

Pacifica blinked slowly, as if having trouble comprehending. She shook her head, and said quietly, "Mabel, I need to get away from Gwen, I think. I—I don't know… Can we go talk to Wendy and Aurora?"

"Oh, thank heaven," said Mabel, leaning forward and giving Pacifica a bone-crushing hug. "Yes. Let's go now."

Mabel led Pacifica by the hand, and they left the house via the back door, so as not to have to pass by Gwen, Dipper, and Gideon.

As they got in Pacifica's car and drove away, Mabel made a phone call.

"Aurora, hey. Can you and Wendy meet me and Pacifica at Greasy's in like fifteen minutes? It's really important."

/

When Aurora and Wendy arrived at the diner, Mabel and Pacifica were already there, huddled together on the same seat of the booth farthest from the door. Sitting down across from the couple, they noticed that both girls were wide-eyed with fear.

Aurora reached across the table and put her hand on top of Mabel's. "Please tell us what is going on. You look terrified!"

Mabel opened her mouth to speak, but shut it abruptly, as Lazy Susan strode up to their table with the two hot chocolates she and Pacifica had ordered. Setting them down, she looked at Wendy strangely.

"You look different than you did earlier today, Gwen. Did you change your hair?" the older woman asked.

Wendy stiffened. "I am _not_ Gwen. That bitch stole my face."

Susan looked taken aback. "I'm sorry, honey… I don't understand. I thought you wanted to be called Gwen now?"

Aurora elbowed Wendy before she had a chance to say anything else. "It's complicated," she said, shrugging. "Could you please bring two more hot chocolates for us?"

"Sure thing, sweetie," said Lazy Susan. As she walked back behind the counter, she turned to glance over her shoulder at Wendy, clearly perplexed.

Wendy turned her attention back to Mabel. "What's going on now? Did someone else show up claiming to be me? Are there three of me now?" She had intended for that last bit to come across as a joke, but no one laughed.

"Wendy, you're in serious danger," said Mabel. "Tell her, Paz."

"Gwen…she brainwashed us somehow—me, Dipper, and Gideon," said Pacifica, her voice shaking. "Not just into believing that she's the real Wendy Corduroy… but into believing that you're a demon Pike summoned, to try and gain control of Dipper and his rift magic."

Wendy arched an eyebrow. "If you're brainwashed, why are you here now, telling me this?"

"Mabel was able to snap me out of it," said Pacifica. "I don't know how exactly, but she made me realize just how serious what they're planning to do to you is—that if we did what we were planning, and it turned out we were wrong, we'd have murdered an innocent human being."

Wendy's face lost all hint of color—even her lips and freckles became paper-white.

"Two hot chocolates!" said Lazy Susan, causing all four girls to jump. She sat the mugs on the table, gave them a curious look, and walked away, shaking her head.

Aurora was the first to regain the ability to speak. "Murder?!" she hissed quietly. "They are going to try and _kill_ Wendy?!"

Mabel nodded. "They've lost all ability to see reason. Gideon has always treated Lexie as an equal, but now he's just being a condescending jackass to her. Lexie got so upset that she lost control, went full wolf, and ran off." Mabel was quiet for a moment. "I hope she's okay."

Wendy lifted her mug to her lips, and attempted to take a drink, but ended up splashing hot chocolate all over the table because her hands were shaking so badly. She sat the mug back down, and took a deep breath.

"So how exactly are they planning to kill me?" she said, her voice uncharacteristically shrill. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate.

Mabel looked at Pacifica, who shrugged. "They were still discussing details when Mabel finally got through to me and we ran," said the blonde.

"I called Pike for help, and he's on his way back from Seattle, but even if he speeds, it'll take a good while for him to get here," said Mabel. "We need to—"

"You talked to…m-my dad?" interrupted Wendy.

"Ugh, I keep forgetting that he's your dad now," said Mabel. "Well, I mean, I guess he's always been your dad, but now you know…"

Tears began spilling down Wendy's cheeks, but she didn't seem to notice them.

"He won't answer any of my calls or texts… I was afraid he never wanted to see me again. But he's on his way?" Aurora handed Wendy a napkin to wipe her eyes, but Wendy just balled it up in her fist.

Mabel nodded. "He sounded furious and terrified at the same time. He really does love you, Wendy. I just think he didn't plan for you to find out the way you did, and it spooked him."

Wendy slumped over, and rested her head against the cool linoleum tabletop.

"How do we keep Wendy safe from the asshole squad before Pike gets here, though?" asked Pacifica. "We have no idea what they're planning."

"I have a suggestion," said Aurora. "You three head out into the woods. Go out at least as far as the stone table, if not further. If you can, try to hole up with the Multibear or Greyfang's pack. If you explain the situation, I know they will be willing to aid you. Make sure to bring some warm clothes, and camping supplies, in case you end up having to stay out there overnight."

"What about you, 'Rora?" asked Mabel. "You won't come with us?"

Aurora shook her head. "No, someone needs to stay here to meet Pike and apprise him and Mrs. Corduroy of the situation. Before he arrives, however, I will attempt to eavesdrop on Gwen, Dipper, and Gideon, to see if I can ascertain their plan. I am not afraid of whoever or whatever Gwen is. I am, after all, a dragon."

Mabel looked at Wendy, who was still slumped over, with her forehead resting on the table.

"Is that plan okay with you, Wen?" she asked. "You're the one in danger."

Wendy slowly straightened back up. She looked absolutely shattered—like someone had smashed a porcelain Wendy figurine to bits, and then tried to glue it back together. She was visibly broken.

"Yeah, that plan works," she said, her voice void of any emotion. "We should probably get going."

After the girls paid for their drinks, they bundled back up in their coats and gloves, and headed back out into the cold.

"We can stop at my house to get supplies, since I doubt they'd look for you there," said Pacifica. "Aurora, do you want me to drop you at the Pines' house on the way?"

"Yes," said Aurora. "But drop me off down the street, so you don't draw their attention by pulling into the driveway."

Pacifica pulled away from the diner with Mabel riding shotgun, and Wendy and Aurora in the backseat. Wendy didn't say anything, but held Aurora's hand. One way or another, this Gwen situation would be over soon—but Wendy worried about her friends becoming casualties of a fight that was not theirs to fight. The weight of the world settled onto her shoulders, and it was crushing her.

/

Pacifica dropped Aurora off at the end of the Pines' street, before heading to her home to gather clothes and supplies for a possible overnight stay in the woods.

Aurora made a wide arc around the house, so that she could enter through the back door. She slipped into the house as quietly as possible, and tiptoed through the kitchen, until she could peer through the archway into the living room.

Dipper, Gideon, and Gwen were still sitting around, animatedly discussing Wendy Corduroy's impending demise.

"So, you don't think just beheading the demon would kill her?" asked Dipper, as he twirled a dagger between his fingers.

"Well, it honestly depends on what kind of demon she really is," said Gideon. "I've read of demons who can regenerate body parts—even heads—like some lizards grow back their tails."

Both boys looked to Gwen. "What do you think?" asked Dipper, resting a hand on Gwen's thigh.

Gwen tapped her chin with her finger. "I think you're overthinking it," she said, and laughed musically. "I already mentioned this, but you boys really want to do things the messy way." She grinned. "This is so basic, too. It not only kills the bitch, but it gets rid of the body, so we don't have to dump it somewhere. Fire, dumbasses."

"Uh, sugar, I really doubt the demon is going to just let us set her on fire," said Gideon. "If she realizes what we're doing, she'll have enough time to stop, drop, and roll—then manifest in her full demon form and kick our collective asses."

"Well, see, this is where we _all_ get to have our fun. Mason, you and Gideon attack her first, and whack her real good on the head with a blunt object. Then, while she's unconscious, we tie her to an old log, so she can't escape."

"And then turn her into a crispy critter?" asked Gideon, a bit too eagerly.

"Well, actually, I want her to wake up before we set her on fire," said Gwen, in a childish sing-song voice. She slowly licked her lips, as if turned on by the thought. "That bitch tried to take you from me, Mason. I want to watch her scream."

Aurora shuddered. She had seen and heard enough. She quietly slipped back through the kitchen and out the door. Whoever Gwen was, she was psychotic, and Dipper and Gideon were both clearly in her thrall. Aurora just hoped Pike would be able to overpower her.

/

Mabel, Pacifica, and Wendy trudged through the forest as the daylight began to fade. All three wore camping packs with bedrolls secured on top of them. Pacifica had let the other girls "shop" in her closet for extra clothing, since it wasn't safe for either of them to go home and pack their own.

"I'm tired of hiking. This is the second time today I've been out this way," complained Pacifica.

"Really?" asked Wendy. "Why were you out here before?"

Pacifica sighed. "Gwen's gotten Dipper all paranoid that Aurora will read his thoughts without his consent, and he wanted to talk to me and Gideon about how you're a…" She trailed off uncomfortably.

"About how I'm a demon and he wants to kill me?" asked Wendy, wryly. "Look, Pacifica, I've had a shit couple of weeks. My heart has been stepped on, broken, and ground down into a fine powder. You've already told me Dipper is convinced I'm a demon and wants to kill me. My dad wants nothing to do with me. And some bitch with my face is trying to take over my life. I'm done having feelings. You don't need to walk on eggshells around me."

"Look, we're all tired, and grumpy, and scared," said Mabel. "I know Aurora wanted us to try for Multibear's cave or Greyfang's territory, but I say we stop for the night at the stone table. It's in a clearing, so we'll be able to see anyone coming at us. What do you guys think?"

Wendy shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever's fine with me. As I said—I'm done having feelings."

"Well I, for one, am _all_ for stopping at the stone table," said Pacifica. "I didn't wear the right shoes to be trekking through the forest, and my feet are killing."

"The stone table it is, then," said Mabel with a nod.

The three girls walked in silence for several minutes, before an eerie noise pierced the chill autumn air. It sounded like the wail of a wounded animal, but with a fierce edge. Wendy, who had been walking point, stopped short, and put her hand out to halt Mabel and Pacifica.

"Um, Wendy… you're familiar with the woods," whispered Pacifica. "Please tell me you know what that is, and whether or not it wants to eat us."

Wendy slowly shook her head. "I've never heard a sound like that," she said softly. "It sounds like it's coming from the stone table, though."

"Oh, great," whispered Mabel. "Wen, do you think you could move quietly enough through the trees to get to the edge of the clearing without alerting…whatever that is… and see if it's dangerous?"

"Sure, why not. I'm slated to die soon anyway," said Wendy, as she started forward again.

The wail increased in volume as Wendy moved closer to the edge of the clearing. Strangely, it was sounding more and more human. As the trees thinned, the light of the dying sun illuminated the clearing, allowing Wendy to see the source of the noise.

"Oh my God, _Lexie_!" she cried, all attempts at stealth abandoned, as she raced toward the prone form on the clearing floor.

"What?!" cried Mabel and Pacifica simultaneously. They crashed through the trees, until they were able to see what had caused Wendy to cry out in such dismay.

Lying in the fetal position near the stone table was their werewolf friend, once again human, but clearly in distress. She was completely naked, and covered in sticky, bright red blood. She seemed oblivious to her three friends approaching her, as her body was wracked with sobs.

"Lexie?" said Mabel gently, approaching her friend and kneeling beside her. "Lex?" She reached out to touch Lexie's shoulder, and the sobbing girl flinched as if she had been prodded by hot iron. Her head snapped up, and her tear-filled eyes flashed yellow.

"No!" she screamed. She scrambled away from Mabel, until her back was up against the stone table. "Stay away from me! I'll hurt you! I'll only hurt you!" She seemed to fold in on herself, and her sobs continued.

While Mabel was trying to calm Lexie, and Pacifica looked on in horror, Wendy was busy scanning the clearing for any sign of a fresh kill, hoping to every deity she's ever heard of that the blood was not that of a human. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted what appeared to be a deer carcass, torn to shreds, about thirty feet away.

Pacifica, wanting to feel useful, began scrounging through her pack. She pulled out a canteen of water, and a rough washcloth. She handed them to Mabel, who nodded in thanks.

"Lexie, it's okay—you're okay," reassured Mabel. She poured some water from the canteen onto the cloth, and held it toward Lexie.

Lexie's wails had stopped, but she was still trying to control the sobs shaking her body. She stared at the offered washcloth uncomprehendingly.

"May I…?" Mabel inched forward, still kneeling, and began to gently wipe the blood from Lexie's face. Lexie swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut, but allowed it to happen.

Pacifica leaned forward and covered Lexie's nakedness with a light blanket from her pack. The four girls were silent for several minutes, save for the occasional sob or hiccup from Lexie, as Mabel did her best to clean the blood from her. She got off as much of it as she could, but eventually the cloth was saturated, and was effectively just smearing the blood around.

Mabel tossed the cloth aside, and sat down cross-legged across from Lexie, Pacifica and Wendy joining her.

Lexie stared at the three girls, her eyes still occasionally watering over. She absently used her arm to wipe away a tear, resulting in a new bloody smear across her face.

"You really shouldn't be around me," said Lexie softly, when she realized the others were waiting for her to speak first. Her eyes flicked to Pacifica, and then down at her hands. "I-I'm not safe."

Pacifica felt a pang of guilt, remembering how she had said she "thought Lexie was supposed to be safe," in the aftermath of the cursed DD&MD game. She had never seen the werewolf this vulnerable before, and it was heart-wrenching. She leaned forward, and placed a hand on Lexie's blanket-covered foot.

"Lexie, we're not going anywhere," she said softly. "I know I can be kind of a bitch sometimes…" She paused as she heard a snort from Wendy. "Okay, most of the time," she amended. "But I do consider you a friend. We all do. We're not just going to leave you here like this."

"Besides," said Wendy, "we were planning on sleeping out here tonight, anyway."

Lexie furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"Because," said Mabel, taking a deep breath, "Gwen's talked Dipper and Gideon into murdering Wendy. We're staying out here until Pike has time to get back to town and take care of things."

Lexie's eyes flashed yellow and welled over again, but this time with tears of anger. "That fucking bitch," she growled. "She's turned the only two people in the world who I thought loved me unconditionally, against me." Hands shaking, she clutched the blanket to her chest, and clenched her eyes shut, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

Pacifica, Mabel and Wendy all looked at each other, and slowly started to inch back from Lexie, unsure if she was going to snap again.

Lexie's breathing slowly returned to normal, and she opened her eyes, which were once again their normal shade of piercing blue.

She glanced at Wendy, and picked up her thought where she had left off, as if nothing had happened. "Also, she wants to kill you, which I am not okay with. In case you were wondering."

Wendy smiled reluctantly. "Glad to hear it."

"So, what's the plan of action, then? When do I get to rip this Gwen bitch's head off?" asked Lexie, her voice hard.

"Action?" Mabel sounded surprised. "No, I don't think you understand. I already told you the plan—stay here and lay low until Pike takes care of things."

Lexie's shoulders slumped. "I do not like that plan."

"Look, Lexie, I know you're more of a doer than a thinker," said Pacifica, "but with the kind of power both Dipper and Gideon are capable of, plus the unknown entity that is Gwen—knowing now that they intend to actually _kill_ Wendy—trying to fight against them would probably end very badly for us."

"Yeah, and I'd really like to avoid dying—especially at the hands of my one true love," muttered Wendy.

Lexie sighed. She was trying to keep it together, but now that her feral side had escaped once, it was harder to control.

"Look, I know you mean well, wanting to stay with me and all," said Lexie, looking at each of the three other girls in turn, "but, if you're planning to stay here and not do anything, I'm going to have to go. The anger that I've got built up inside—" she paused, closed her eyes, and swallowed. "The anger is making it difficult to suppress the wolf. So I'm gonna go. My grandad's pack is near here. For right now, it's safer for me to be around my own kind." She stood, clutching the blanket around her.

Mabel, Pacifica, and Wendy rose with her.

"I guess… if you think it's for the best," said Mabel, sounding unsure. "There's just one thing I don't understand. I've seen you partly transform, and even go full wolf before, and you've never worried about hurting us. Why's now any different?"

"Every single time you've seen me transform, even during the DD &MD game, it's always been a conscious decision," explained Lexie. "I chose to transform, and to what degree. Even in full wolf form, my human consciousness was in control. What happened earlier, though? I lost all control. I didn't consciously make the decision to transform. The wolf side completely took over. Luckily, I was able to wrestle enough control away from the wolf to get out of the house before I was fully transformed. If I hadn't…" Lexie shuddered. "Everyone in that room with me would probably be dead, or a werewolf."

Wendy whistled. "Kind of glad I was elsewhere for that."

Lexie nodded. "Elsewhere is the safest place to be, from me, for a while." She looked down at the blanket she was clutching to herself. "Is there any chance I can borrow someone's extra clothes? Wendy… your style and size are the closest to mine."

"Sorry, Lex, all the extra clothes are Pacifica's," said Wendy, shrugging. "It wasn't safe to go to our own homes and pack."

"Oh, good," said Lexie, sounding resigned.

A few minutes later, Lexie, wearing a slightly too tight pink shirt, and slightly too short, floral embroidered jeans, waved at her friends, and then disappeared into the shadowy woods.

/

Pike's speedometer barely dipped under 100mph as he roared toward Gravity Falls on his motorcycle. Although he made it in record time, it was well after dark as he pulled to a stop in front of the Corduroy house. All the windows were dark, which was strange, because Jess had the habit of always leaving a lamp on in the living room overnight.

Pike unlocked the door and entered the house as quietly as he could. He immediately made a beeline toward Wendy's room. The door was wide open, and it was dark inside. Wendy was lying in her bed... wait. No—not Wendy. Aurora?

Suddenly, a sharp jolt of pain exploded on the back of Pike's skull. And then, darkness.

When Pike came to, he was naked, tied to a chair in the kitchen, which was dimly lit with candles. He blinked, as his eyes took a moment to focus. The back of his head throbbed, and he groaned.

"Hum, yeah, that's going to be tender for a while."

Pike squinted and looked up. Jessica Corduroy was standing in front of him in a slinky black dress, a smile playing on her vampy red lips.

"Jess? What the hell?" Pike strained at his bonds. "I don't know what you're playing at, but Wendy's in danger. You have to let me go!"

"Psh, you sound just like that little dragonling," laughed Jessica. "'They are going to kill her, Mrs. Corduroy!'" she said shrilly, mocking Aurora's urgency. "She was becoming annoying, so I put her down for a little…nap."

"Jess, I really don't have time for…whatever _this_ is. Un-fucking-tie me!" Pike struggled against his bonds again, unsuccessfully.

"Sorry, Ollie, not happening," murmured Jessica, as she walked purposely forward. She slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders, and it dropped to the floor. All she wore beneath it was a tiny pair of black panties.

Pike felt his face redden. Although her figure was slightly fuller than it had been the last time she tried (well, succeeded at) seducing him, it was no less perfect. He turned his head and looked away, but Jessica grabbed his chin, and made him look at her. She straddled Pike, sitting on his lap, so they were face to face.

"I kind of like the sight of you tied up," she said seductively.

Pike swallowed, trying to remain in control of his baser nature, while at the same time fighting to not give in to the overwhelming sense of panic creeping up on him. Jessica was acting just like she had when corrupted by the rift.

"Jess, I don't know what's wrong with you right now, and I promise I'll figure it out soon—but _our daughter's life is in danger_." As Pike talked, he leaned his head back slowly, but she kept leaning in closer.

Jessica ignored what Pike said about Wendy's life being in danger, but she sure as hell homed in on the phrase 'our daughter.' She wrapped her arms around him, her breasts pressed firmly against his bare chest.

"Do you remember how much fun we had making her, Ollie?" Jessica whispered into his ear, close enough that her soft lips brushed against his earlobe.

"Hnnnggg" was all Pike could verbalize in response. He was beginning to rise to the occasion, and Jessica didn't help matters as she started to grind against him slowly. He could feel her wetness through the thin fabric of her panties.

"Mmm, speechless, are we?" murmured Jessica, as she began working her way down his neck and throat with hot little kisses, and the occasional light scrape of her teeth against his skin.

"J-Jess-hnnngg… Please… you have to let…mmmeee go," Pike half-panted, half-moaned.

Jessica leaned back, pleased with her efforts at turning Pike into a slobbering mess. She ran her hands over the breadth of his chest, tracing the bumps and ridges of his numerous scars with soft fingertips, and smirked.

"Seems to me like you _want_ this as much as I do, magic man," she said low. "I've seen the kind of power you have at your disposal, Ollie. If you really want me to stop…" She leaned back in, and lightly nipped his earlobe before whispering "use your magic to _make_ me stop."

Pike took a deep breath in through his nose, and out slowly through his mouth, trying desperately to focus on the reason he'd come back to Gravity Falls.

"I don't _ever_ use the 'power at my disposal' on people," he said, locking eyes with Jessica. "I use it to _help_ people."

"That's a cute little excuse," simpered Jessica. "But I don't believe you." She rocked her pelvis into his. "I can _feel_ how much you want this, Ollie."

"Stop. Fucking. Calling. Me. Ollie. My name is Pike," he hissed at her through gritted teeth.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "You're still the same person. Why do you care what I call you?" As she talked, she slid back off of Pike's lap, and dropped to her knees. Right as she leaned forward, Aurora wandered into the kitchen, squinting, and rubbing the back of her head.

Pike inhaled sharply, as Jessica began to kiss his inner thighs.

Aurora's eyes widened and she covered her mouth when she realized what she'd walked in on. She made awkward eye contact with Pike, a look of utter befuddlement on her face.

Pike tried to be as obvious and clear as possible when he mouthed the words HELP ME at the stunned girl.

Confused, she mouthed back HOW?

Pike quickly glanced around the room. He unintentionally let out a low moan, and felt his face turn crimson. Then he saw it—a large cast iron skillet, sitting out on the counter. He looked at Aurora, who was possibly blushing worse than him at this point, and inclined his head in the direction of the skillet. HIT HER HEAD!

Aurora made a face that Pike couldn't quite read, possibly because of lack of blood flow to his brain. However, she tiptoed over, and hefted the heavy skillet off of the counter, and then moved silently into position behind Jessica. She looked down at the older woman's head, then back up at Pike. YOU'RE SURE?

Pike nodded, and clenched his eyes shut. He heard a sharp, metallic thwack, and Jessica's body went limp, sliding to the floor between his feet.

"Oh, thank the gods," sighed Pike. "Please untie me."

"Okay, but first…" Aurora dropped a dishtowel in his lap. "To cover up with until you can get some pants on."

She stepped behind the chair, and Pike felt the ropes being pulled on.

"These knots are too tight," said Aurora. She opened the kitchen drawers at random until she found a large pair of strong kitchen shears. With a few quick snips, Pike was freed. He leapt up from his chair, sidestepped Jessica, still splayed out on the floor, and mumbled something about clothes as he hurried off to his bedroom.

Aurora knelt down and felt for Mrs. Corduroy's pulse, which was strong and steady. The dragoness let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in.

Pike reentered the kitchen, fully clothed, with a pillow and blanket in his arms. He crouched down and gently lifted Jessica's head, sliding the pillow underneath, before setting it back down. He then draped the blanket over her.

When he stood up, Aurora was staring at him, brows raised.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm assuming Mrs. Corduroy got you into that compromising situation much in the same way I ended up in Wendy's bed."

It was Pike's turn to raise his brows.

"Ugh, that sounded bad," said Aurora, touching the back of her head. "I meant she knocked me unconscious."

"Right," said Pike. "Honestly, I'm super worried about why Jessica's suddenly gone all evil and rapey again, but I'm more worried about Wendy. Where is she? What do you know?"

Aurora told him about Mabel, Pacifica, and Wendy going out to hide in the woods, and about the conversation she had eavesdropped on, in which Gwen put forth the idea of burning Wendy alive.

"For fucks sake," said Pike incredulously. "And somehow Dipper and Gideon believe wholeheartedly that she's the real Wendy? What _is_ she?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," said Aurora, disappointed.

A small noise from around their feet caught Pike's attention. Jessica was beginning to stir.

"Shit. We need to get out of here, kid," said Pike, taking Aurora by the shoulders and steering her out of the kitchen and toward the front door. "If Gwen is as manipulative and powerful as she seems, I don't want to go into a fight with her blind. I need to talk to Wendy and the others, see if I can piece together any clues about Gwen's identity that you all might have overlooked."

They hurriedly left the house, and Pike got on his motorcycle, motioning Aurora to get on behind him. She climbed on uncertainly, and put on the spare helmet he handed her.

"You said they went at least as far as the stone table, right?" Pike asked loudly, as the engine rumbled to life. He turned to look at Aurora, who nodded. "Then that's where we're headed."

/

Gideon had fallen asleep curled up on the loveseat, while Dipper snoozed on the couch with his head on Gwen's lap. The redhead hummed a sweet melody and stroked his hair, imagining Wendy's screams of fear and pain as the flames engulfed her.

Lost in her macabre daydreams, she almost didn't hear the distant roar of a motorcycle tearing through the night. She perked up. It was _him_. She closed her eyes, and emptied her mind, waiting for instructions. A toothy grin spread across her face, and she nodded, opening her eyes.

"Mason, sweetie," she said softly, her voice lilting like a song. "You need to wake up."

Dipper turned his head, and slowly blinked up at Gwen, his lips gently curling into a smile.

"There's been a change of plans," said Gwen, still stroking Dipper's hair. "How would you like to take out both the demon, _and_ the one who summoned her tonight?"

Dipper frowned. "I thought Pike was in Seattle?"

"Oh no—he's definitely back in town. And I know where he's going, and what he's after."

Dipper sat up, a look of grim determination on his face. "What _is_ he after? That's what I don't understand. I'd always thought Pike was one of the 'good guys.' He never seemed like he had any ulterior motives. But if he's dealing with demons—"

"Oh, Mason, it's sweet how naïve you are," sang Gwen, patting him on the cheek. "He's after _you_. More specifically, your power—the power of the rift."

Gideon stirred across the room, woken up by Dipper and Gwen's voices. He sat up on the loveseat and stretched. "Sorry, couldn't help but overhear… but Dip, what she's saying makes sense—and confirms my theory of why he summoned fake Wendy—to use her as a means to control you."

Gwen flashed Gideon a cat-like grin, then turned back to Dipper. "Exactly. But when I showed back up, it fouled up his plan. That's probably why he ran off to Seattle—to prepare himself to steal your power by _force_."

Dipper gulped. He knew the kind of raw power Pike was capable of. He'd been prepared to easily take out the demoness Pike had summoned to pose as Wendy, but Pike himself?

"Gwen," he said quietly, "I-I don't know if I'm ready to take him on. I want to—believe me, I want him to go down. But the kind of power he can wield… I can't compete with that."

Gwen held her arms out and pulled Dipper to her in a tight embrace. She whispered softly into his ear, her musical voice low and seductive.

"You are capable of more than you know, Mason. Use the power he wants _against him_. To fight him, you'll have to pull in as much rift energy as you think your physical body can hold—and then pull in a little more after that. He's going to the stone table, Mason. The rift is thin there—he thinks he can tap into it for himself. Let's go show him how mistaken he is."

Dipper disengaged from her hug, and stared at her for a second, then nodded gravely. He stood up, and planted his feet firmly on the hardwood floor, arms hanging at his sides, hands balled into tight fists. He glanced at Gideon, who flashed him a grin, and gave him two thumbs up. Then his eyes focused on Gwen.

"I love you," he said simply. Then he closed his eyes, and invited the rift into his body.

Dipper screamed as silver flames erupted from his body, swirling like a vortex around him. The air pressure in the room changed, the walls and floor creaking and groaning. Slowly the vortex shrank around him, until it had all absorbed into his body. He was no longer covered in flames, but his skin glowed silver, tainted with swirling streaks of black. His hair was still its normal shade of brown, except for one streak of pure white that fell across his forehead.

Dipper had never allowed this much of the rift into himself, and he regretted not doing it sooner. He could feel the power of multiple dimensions flowing through him—the power to create, and to destroy.

"Mason," said Gwen, "are you still with us?"

Dipper opened his eyes. They were pure silver, even his pupils.

"I'm still here," said Dipper, grinning wickedly. "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."

/

Wendy, Pacifica, and Mabel lay shivering in their sleeping bags, each facing a different direction. The idea of a fire had been vetoed, for fear of drawing unwanted attention. Instead the girls had layered on as much of the extra clothing as they could, and gotten in their sleeping bags. None of them could sleep, so they all lay, whispering to each other, trying to keep an eye out for movement in the trees.

Wendy was used to camping, and under normal circumstances, might have been able to sleep okay. Unfortunately, these circumstances were far from normal. Somewhere out there, her boyfriend (ex-boyfriend? She wasn't sure of anything anymore) had been brainwashed by someone or some _thing_ claiming to be the real Wendy, and was intent on killing her. Add to that the fact that her biological father was an enigma, who ran off the moment Wendy found out she was his daughter, only to come running back when he heard she was in danger… No, sleep was not going to be something she would get to enjoy on this little jaunt into the forest.

"Hey, Wen, you okay?" whispered Mabel.

"Yeah, why?" asked Wendy. Her voice came out strained, like it caught in her throat.

"Well, you've been laying there crying for like a half hour," said Pacifica.

Surprised, Wendy touched her cheeks. Wet. "Oh. Well, I mean, I'm not okay. But I'm not dead yet, so I've got that going for me, which is nice."

Neither Mabel or Pacifica laughed at Wendy's attempted humor. "Look, guys, I—"

Wendy stopped talking midsentence.

"What's wr—" began Mabel, only to be shushed by Wendy.

"I heard voices… someone's out there!" hissed Wendy.

"Crap," said Pacifica. The girls quickly slid out of their sleeping bags. Mabel rummaged in her pack, pulling out her trusty grappling hook, while Pacifica drew a wicked-looking chef's knife out of hers. Wendy, unclipped the trusty hatchet, that she almost always carried on her person, from the loop on her belt.

"Get behind me!" hissed Wendy.

"What, no!" whispered Mabel angrily. "You're the one they're after! _You_ get behind us!"

"Wendy?! Mabel?! Pacifica?! Are you out here?"

"Is that—that sounded like Aurora!" whispered Mabel excitedly. She began to call out, but was muffled by Wendy's hands over her mouth.

"It could be a trick!" said Wendy.

"Pippy?! If you're out here—"

Wendy's stomach felt like it jumped into her throat. "Dad?!"

The sound of running footsteps echoed through the clearing, and then Wendy found herself wrapped in the warmest, tightest hug she'd ever been on the receiving end of.

"Oh gods, I was so worried… I-I'm so sorry, Pippy," Pike whispered. "I didn't mean for you to be hurt..." His voice caught. He was actually crying.

Unable to speak, Wendy hugged him back, her face pressed against the cool leather of his jacket, warm tears sliding down her cheeks.

Pike kissed the top of her head. "I always wanted to tell you, Pippy," he murmured into her hair. "But your mom and Dan… I didn't want to ruin their marriage. And then their marriage fell apart anyway…but you disappeared. And when you finally showed back up… it would have been the perfect time to tell you—but I couldn't."

"Why not?" Wendy choked out. "What was so important that kept you from telling me I'm your daughter?!"

Pike sighed, his breath ruffling her hair. "I didn't want to have to tell you this, Pippy…but— SHIT."

Wendy pulled away and looked up at her father, confused. "What?"

Pike's face was panic-stricken. "Shit, shit, SHIT! Wendy, take the others and go hide—now!"

Wendy whipped her head around to where he was looking. A silver glow was approaching, getting brighter by the second.

"Dad, I—"

"Now, Wendy!"

Wendy clamped her mouth shut, and grabbed Aurora and Mabel, who was already holding Pacifica's hand. She led them, at a run, into the woods in the opposite direction as the silver light.

She couldn't bring herself to go far, however. The group of girls stopped when they were barely into the trees. Wendy turned, and peered out at the clearing from behind a tree. What she saw made her blood run cold.

The source of the silver light was Dipper. He stepped into the clearing, flanked by Gideon on one side, and Gwen on the other, glowing brighter than a full moon on a clear night.

Wendy heard Aurora gasp, and let out a small sob. "He is going to kill himself… he can't control that much pure rift energy. Oh gods, Dipper…"

Wendy took Aurora's hand and squeezed it tightly, as they watched events unfold before them.

/

"Dipper, don't do this," said Pike, his arms folded across his chest.

The glowing youth laughed metallically, the unnatural noise echoing throughout the clearing.

"What's the matter, Pike," spat Dipper. "Are you scared because I'm more powerful than you now?"

"The rift is corrupting you," said Pike, his voice void of emotion. "Even Jess never took in pure rift energy like this, and it still managed to corrupt her. This is going to end up disintegrating you. You'll burn from the inside out." He said it matter-of-factly, like he was reading it out of a textbook.

"Bullshit!" spat Gwen. "Look at me Mason," she said sweetly, grabbing Dipper's face, and turning it to her. "He's lying, trying to scare you. He just wants the power for himself. Kill him!"

Without blinking, Dipper manifested an enormous, flaming silver sword, and took a flying leap at Pike. Gwen laughed and clapped her hands gleefully.

Pike dodged the sword, barely. Cursing, he patted his jacket, trying to remember which hidden weapons he had on him. The length of the sword meant he wouldn't able to get close enough to use his hidden knives. Besides, he wanted to stop the kid, not kill him.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he muttered to himself, as he felt the only possible weapon he could use, curled up in a hidden inside pocket of his jacket. He withdrew it, and unfurled it with a snap.

Dipper, who was poised to take a second run at Pike, stopped, and cocked his head to the side. "What are you, a motherfucking Indiana Jones impersonator?" he asked with a derisive snort.

Pike snapped the bullwhip again. "No, I'm more badass than him," he said casually. He lashed out with it before Dipper had time to react, the leather leaving a thin, bloody gash down Dipper's left cheek.

Dipper touched his cheek. "Weak sauce, old man." Once again he ran forward, slashing with his sword wildly.

Pike dodged the attack easily this time. He lazily flicked his hand, and the whip lashed out and wrapped around the sword, ripping it from Dipper's hand. Once out of his grasp, the sword disintegrated in a wisp of silver dust.

"If we both survive this," Pike taunted, "and you stop being such a little bitch, remind me to teach you how to properly use a sword. I'd say your technique sucks, but you don't even have a technique."

Dipper screamed with rage, and drew more rift energy into himself, a vortex of silver flame rising to swirl around him. He raised his arms within the vortex, and then slammed them down against his sides. With that, the vortex exploded outward, in a tidal wave of silver fire.

"Oh, shit," said Pike, just before it hit him. The force of the energy wave threw Pike back several yards, until he was stopped by the stone table. He heard a violent crack as the back of his head hit the stone, and pain exploded behind his eyelids.

 _Don't you fucking dare pass out, Pike. Not now. You're doing this for Pippy. Get up. Get UP! GET THE FUCK UP, PIKE!_

Pike held onto the table as he pulled himself up. "Alright, alright," he mumbled. He felt wetness trickling from his scalp, down the back of his neck.

He turned slowly, and found himself face-to-face with Dipper, whose silver eyes were full of loathing. His skin was still glowing a bright silver, and he was literally giving of steam, puffs rising like small clouds into the cold night air. Pike could feel an intense heat coming from the boy. It was almost overwhelming.

"Dipper, you're killing yourself," he said softly. His voice was slightly slurred, having suffered two concussions in the span of only a few hours. The edges of his vision were blurry and dark.

"No," said Dipper, smiling maliciously. "I'm killing you." His hand shot forward, and he caught Pike's throat in his white-hot grip, squeezing the life out of his former mentor.

/

"No!" screamed Wendy. She couldn't stand by and watch Dipper murder her father. Aurora tried to pull her back, but was unsuccessful.

"Stay here!" Aurora hissed at Mabel and Pacifica, as she turned to run after Wendy. Mabel nodded mutely, hands over her mouth, tears streaming from her eyes. What had Gwen _done_ to Dipper?

"Wendy, wait!" cried Aurora, running as fast as she could to catch up to the redhead.

Dipper heard her cry, and looked up, to see Wendy and Aurora both racing in his direction. He grinned, and let go of Pike's neck. The older man collapsed, gasping for air, the skin of his neck raw and sizzling where Dipper had grasped him.

"So the demon wants to die before her master?" he spat. "I can arrange that." He came at Wendy, silver eyes flashing.

"DIPPER PINES, ENOUGH!" screamed Aurora, her voice fierce and dragon-like. Dipper stopped short, and sneered at her.

"I didn't want to do it this way, but you're giving me no choice," said Aurora, more quietly. "I hope this doesn't break you."

The dragoness held her fingers to her temples, and the black-tainted silver rift energy began to stream away from him, and into her.

"What are you—" he began, but both he and Wendy suddenly collapsed, screaming in pain and holding their heads, as Aurora reestablished her connection with Dipper, and channeled Wendy's thoughts directly to him.

 _Dipper, how could you? After everything we've been through? How could you betray me_ again?! _How much more do I have to do to prove I love you? To prove that I am the Wendy who has always loved you? Why are you so easily swayed from me? You have single-handedly hurt me more than any other person in my life, and yet I keep coming back to you. Why? How many more times is this going to happen? You wanted to kill me! You were going to kill my dad! By all rights, I should hate you—except I know this isn't you. I hate what the rift has done to you—what it did to my mom… Are you still in there, Dipper? Please still be in there somewhere, please…_

Dipper felt strange. Lighter. Confused. The dull ache left in his head felt like the word _please_ being reverberated through his skull. He blinked, and stood up, shaky on his feet. Wendy was also getting to her feet, being helped up by Aurora, who had a faint silver glow about her, like an aura. Dipper looked down at his own skin. He still glowed very faintly as well, but the silver no longer had swirls of black mixed in. His skin was no longer steaming.

"Oh, aren't you all just precious!" simpered Gwen mockingly. Dipper jumped. He hadn't heard her walk up behind him. "Gideon, dear," she sang out, "would you be so kind as to put a bubble around the dragon bitch? She irritates me."

"With pleasure, sugar," said Gideon. A red-tinged bubble appeared around Aurora. She screamed inside, banging against it with her fists, but outside of her bubble, they heard nothing.

Dipper turned to Gwen. "Wh-who are you?"

Gwen pouted. "I've already told you, I'm Gwendolyn Corduroy, lover boy."

"But…" Dipper shook his head. He felt like his brain was full of cobwebs.

"Ugh, this is getting tedious. Maybe I'll be someone else," said Gwen. She turned to look at Pike, who was pulling himself to his feet, leaning on the stone table for support. When she spoke to him, she no longer sounded like Wendy.

"Hey Pike, it's me. Look… I know it's been few years since we've talked, but I'll be in Seattle in a few weeks and I was wondering if I could see you? Let me know. I miss you, Pike."

While she was talking, her form changed into that of a slim, blonde cheerleader.

Pike stumbled back, catching himself on the table. "No," he said low. He fell to his knees, and leaned forward oh his palms, staring at the ground. "No," he murmured again.

"Aw, what's wrong, Pike? You don't like? I picked this body special, just for you," said the cheerleader. She looked down at her chest and wiggled. "Perky!"

Dipper was dumbfounded. "Who are you really? Why are you doing this?"

The cheerleader laughed. "You stupid boy. This was never about you and your little girlfriend." She looked down at Pike, who was still staring at the ground. "It was about him. Making him suffer. Making him vulnerable."

Dipper narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"But I don't think he's quite vulnerable enough," she said, ignoring Dipper. She strode purposely over to Wendy, and grabbed her by the neck. "Maybe I should kill his daughter. What do you think, Dipper? Would that be enough to break him?"

Wendy's scream was choked off, as she fought desperately at the hand clutching her windpipe.

Pike looked up, eyes wide. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

Dipper felt something like a wild animal break free in his chest. "GET THE FUCK OFF HER YOU BITCH!" he screamed, and he ran forward, manifesting the flaming silver sword before the cheerleader had time to react. He ran her through.

The cheerleader looked surprised. "Well that wasn't very nice," she said faintly.

She let go of Wendy, who nearly fell to the ground, coughing and holding her throat, before Dipper caught her. He cradled Wendy, looking hatefully at the cheerleader. She stumbled back, holding her hands against the rapidly blossoming dark red stain on her shirt. She collapsed directly in front of Pike, who grabbed her and held her, sobbing.

"I guess this works too," said the cheerleader, almost too softly to hear. She smiled up at Pike, as blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth, and she patted his cheek, leaving a red smear. "I'm dying, again. And this time, Pike, it's your fault. All…your…fault…" And her eyes became lifeless and vacant.

Pike let out a raw scream, like a wounded animal. It triggered the nearby werewolf pack into song, and the night became filled with an eerie wailing.

The red bubble encircling Aurora faded away, as a confused Gideon wandered forward.

"What in the hell just happened?" he asked, rubbing his head.

Aurora looked down at Pike, who was still sobbing over the dead cheerleader. "I think he has an idea… but we need to get him out of here, and away from _that_ before we'll be able to get any sort of intelligible response from him."

Wendy knelt down next to Pike, and took his hand. "Dad? We need to go. It's time to go now."

He nodded, uncomprehendingly, silent tears still coming thick and fast. He allowed himself to be led away by the hand, looking like a broken little boy.

Realizing the danger was over, Mabel and Pacifica had made their way over to the rest of the group. They gathered up the sleeping bags and backpacks, and together, looking like a band of wounded soldiers supporting each other after battle, the group headed back to the Pines house.

/

As soon as the group arrived at the Pines' house, Aurora went into full-blown mom mode. Dipper had collapsed near the edge of the woods, and Gideon had carried him the rest of the way to the house. Dipper had tried to protest being carried, but was too weak to object much. When they got to the house, Gideon placed Dipper gently on the couch. In the light of the living room, Dipper looked terrible. His skin was an ashy gray color, while his cheeks were a flaming red. He still had a streak of pure white shot through his brown hair.

Aurora felt Dipper's forehead, and sighed. "I was afraid of this. You are very, very sick, Dipper."

"But I feel fantastic!" joked Dipper, weakly. He could barely hold his eyes open.

Wendy scooted a chair up next to Dipper and held his hand, while Aurora went to the kitchen to make tea and find something to bring Dipper's fever down.

Pike stood in the corner of the room, staring into space, until Mabel steered him to an overstuffed armchair, and made him sit. Pacifica went to the kitchen to see if she could help Aurora with anything. Gideon perched himself in his usual place on the loveseat, and looked at the empty cushion next to him, feeling guilty. He jumped when Mabel plopped down next to him.

"She'll be okay, Gid," said Mabel. "She just needs a little time with the pack to get herself sorted out."

"I feel like such a moron," said Gideon quietly. "The whole time she was right…and I drove her to…she almost…"

"But she didn't," said Mabel, patting his knee. "She got out into the forest before the wolf fully took over. We found her, back in her human form, when we first got to the stone table. She's hurt, and scared, but that's why she needs you now. When she comes back to us, just support her. Let her know she's loved."

Gideon blushed furiously, and looked at his hands. "I'll keep that in mind," he said softly.

"If you think _you_ feel like a moron, Gid, imagine how I feel," said Dipper faintly from across the room. He looked up at Wendy, who was still holding his hand. "I don't… she had me so convinced. Wendy… I… I don't know how to begin to apologize. I was…" he swallowed. "She had me ready to kill you, Wen—" Dipper's voice broke, and he couldn't speak anymore.

Wendy lifted Dipper's hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it. "Just get better, Dipper. Get better now, and you can apologize later."

Dipper turned his face away, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Aurora bustled back into the room with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of cool water for Dipper. Wendy helped him sit up enough to take the medicine, and then Aurora took the glass and bottle back to the kitchen, returning shortly with Pacifica, carrying a tray laden with mugs of tea, which she sat on a low table in the middle of the room. No one touched them, however.

Everyone was finally in the room and seated, when Gideon said "So, uh, are we going to talk about what the hell happened? Who Gwen was? What's wrong with Dipper? Anybody?"

Everybody looked at Pike, who was still mentally someplace else. It was finally Aurora who spoke up.

"I don't know anything about Gwen," she said, "but I feel partly responsible for how easily she was able to take ahold of his mind and manipulate him… and for how sick he is now."

The room remained silent, everybody but Pike staring at Aurora intently. She sighed and continued.

"Just before Wendy—our _real_ Wendy—reappeared, I had cut off mental contact with Dipper, because I wanted him to choose me over her, but I did not want him to think I had manipulated his mind into the decision. But then Wendy reappeared, and it seemed the need to choose was even more imperative than before. So I stayed out of his mind. I have stayed out of his mind since Wendy's return, up until tonight. I did not want to re-enter his mind without permission, but it was the only way I knew to get through to him."

"What does that have to do with Gwen and him getting sick, though?" asked Mabel.

"Well, I knew for a fact that our Wendy was real, because on the night the Sandman attacked, I accidentally connected to Wendy's mind. That is why I never hesitated in siding with Wendy. However, entering someone's mind is highly personal, and I did not want to connect to Dipper without his permission, even after the arrival of Gwen. I did not realize how strong of a hold she had over him. And I had no idea that she would talk him into trying to channel the rift the way he did, and talk him into killing people."

"Sorry, I'm still not seeing the connection with him being sick," said Pacifica.

"I am a rift dragon," said Aurora. "I was pulled through the rift as an egg, and that affected my development. When I am connected to Dipper's mind, I also act as a filter for the rift energy he uses so that it is less likely to corrupt him, as well as a receptacle, so that he can never pull in too much of the rift at once. In closing the connection between our minds, I cut off my ability to protect him from the raw power of the rift."

"If you knew that was the case, why did you cut the connection in the first place?" asked Gideon, his brow furrowed.

"I was unaware of how much I was protecting him… I am sorry. I know I am not human, but that does not mean I do not make mistakes," said Aurora, hanging her head. "I certainly never expected him to do what he did tonight. He could have died! He still m—" Aurora cut herself off quickly. "He is incredibly sick. The raw energy of the rift was burning him from the inside, out."

Wendy's eyes were glistening. She looked down at Dipper, who was breathing evenly, his eyes closed. He had fallen asleep. She turned back to Aurora.

"He was burning from the inside out, and you gave him _aspirin_? And that's supposed to fix him?"

"This is new to me, Wendy. You all seem to forget that I am only a baby dragon." Aurora glanced at Pike, who was still staring off into space. "I was hoping he might be able to help. Or your mom, since—oh. I need to make a phone call."

Aurora abruptly got up and left the room, returning a minute later, sliding her cell phone into her pocket.

"Your mother is on her way, Wendy," explained the dragoness. "She and Pike and I had an…altercation earlier tonight… I now believe she had somehow come under Gwen's influence as well. She seemed her normal self when I talked to her just now."

"What did she do?" asked Wendy.

"I'll…let you ask her that," said Aurora, her cheeks flushing.

Wendy turned to Pike. "Dad?"

Pike's head snapped up, his eyes coming back into focus. "Huh?"

"That thing," said Wendy, "before Dipper killed her… said she was actually using us to get to you. Who was she to you?"

"I don't know," mumbled Pike. "Shapeshifter? Siren? Maybe a demon? I don't know…"

"Then why was she trying to kill people to get to you?" asked Aurora, perplexed.

Pike heaved a sigh, and tried to gather himself together. He made eye contact with Wendy, and there were tears in his eyes.

"I didn't want you to find out I was your dad, because I'm going to die soon."

Wendy's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. "What?! Are you sick? What's wrong?!"

Pike shook his head. "It's nothing like that. It's just… in my line of work, you make enemies. Powerful enemies. Evil enemies. And when a group of your enemies gets together, and decides you've caused trouble for them one too many times, well… Let's just say that there's a hit out on me—of the supernatural variety. The Powers That Be want me dead. I can't stop it. It's only a matter of time…" He trailed off, and looked at Wendy, whose lower lip was quivering, as she did her best not to break down. "I didn't want you to know I'm your dad, because I've got this hit out on me. I didn't want you to be hurt, losing your dad that you just found out about."

"Oh, Ollie!"

Everyone jumped, not having heard Jessica Corduroy enter the house. She was standing near the door, hugging herself, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"I… I don't want you or Wendy hurt on account of me…" Pike trailed off, and looked at his feet.

Gideon spoke up. "Isn't there anything we can do? Any way to avoid it? I have some power, and Dipper, when he's feeling better is also—"

"No," said Pike, emphatically. "I don't want anyone else hurt because of me. I'm done fighting it. I'm ready for it to be over. I couldn't avoid it if I wanted to."

Mabel yelped, as a single vision flashed before her eyes. Her visions were so few and far between that she sometimes forgot she had them altogether. Often they were confusing and disconnected. This one was clear as day. It was Pike, laying in a field, covered in blood. Dead. She shook her head and blinked, trying to erase the image from her mind. Everyone in the room was staring at her.

"You just had a vision, didn't you?" asked Pacifica.

Mabel nodded mutely.

"Was it about Pike?" asked Gideon.

Mabel bit her lip to try and keep from crying as she nodded her head again.

The way Mabel's face crumbled told everyone what they wanted to know.

Pike looked up at Wendy again. "I'm sorry, Pippy. I wish I could have been a better dad to you."

/

Five robed figures sat at a long, heavy wooden table, flanked on either side by The First Good, and The First Evil.

"So you both have finally given up on trying to win him over?" asked one of the robed figures, his deep, gravelly voice booming, echoing off the cold marble floors and walls of the chamber.

Nimueh and Darquesse both scowled, which was answer enough.

"Of course," said a sweet sounding female voice, "We _do_ understand why you both were eager to persuade Pike to serve under you. It is rare to find a mortal so powerful, who doesn't already owe allegiance to some demon or god. He would have been a force to be reckoned with, even more than he currently is, had he chosen to join one of you."

"However," said a younger sounding male voice, "he has become too powerful on his own for having no allegiance. With no allegiance, he is unpredictable. He interferes with our plans. We have no way of knowing when and where he will interfere. It is unacceptable."

"So you see, now, why we have to be rid of him," said an elderly female voice. "He is meddlesome, and has gotten too big for his britches. Did you know he has mastered Purgabit? On his own! He is able to _will_ his body to release _all_ toxins. Ridiculous. No mortal should possess that power."

"That is why we had to find someone with a grudge against him—more than your petty grievances," added another older male voice. "Someone who not only wanted to kill him, but to see him, and those he loves, suffer. He does not deserve a quick, painless death."

"Who did you find, then?" asked Nimueh.

"And just how much how much are they making him suffer?" breathed Darquesse.

A pair of sneakers squeaked on the marble floor, and a feminine figure sashayed forward.

"Don't you worry, Darquesse. I'm drawing this out. His torture has only just begun." The figure stepped forward into the light. A blonde cheerleader, covered in blood, grinned up at the Powers That Be and the Firsts. Slowly her face and body morphed, horns growing out of her forehead, and large, leathery wings sprouting from her shoulder blades. Her blood-red eyes sparkled with delight.

"Ah, Lillith," said the elderly female voice. "I take it phase one of your plan is complete. Has it broken him?"

Lillith laughed. "Oh, yes. He is so _very_ broken. And now it's time to begin phase two of the fall of Pike."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 22: Bad Moon Rising

/

 **SHOUTOUTS!**

 **Fereality, LimboticMistisos, MorgothII, NecroticHate, moshi182, Ultimate Spider Girl, TGGDSD, Dexay, Jack Diabrew, scroghmc, NyaNyaKittyFace, Reaper1173, and pittbuck.** Thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews. Every time I see one of these it just spurs me on to make the chapter that much more. I love seeing your reactions to the twists and turns.

 **Geekngroom** What can I say that I already haven't? Gold Star babe.

 **TGGDSD** Keep being awesome my friend.

Next chapter might be a little longer with getting posted. I really need to do a rewrite on the first couple of chapters to bring them in line with my current style, make it flow a little better. But have no fear I'm not going anywhere. For a long time.

Peace


	22. Bad Moon Rising

Chapter Twenty-Two

Bad Moon Rising

The sun was still low in the sky, its light barely penetrating the thick forest canopy, its warmth yet to vanquish the night's chill.

Lexie had started out on her run before the sunlight was even a suggestion in the early morning sky. Dressed in yoga pants and a dark blue, moisture-wicking t-shirt, earbuds in, and a look of grim determination on her face, she sprinted and jogged the forest trail in intervals, purposely trying to exhaust herself before having to head home and shower before school. That was the best way she knew of to keep the wolf in check—exhaustion.

Only one day had passed since Lexie had lost control and gone feral, at the risk of harming her friends. While she was glad she got away from them in time, she regretted not having the foresight to tear out Gwen's throat there and then. It would have saved everyone a lot of grief.

Mabel had called Lexie on Sunday evening, to see if the she was okay after spending some time with Greyfang's pack, and to let her know the fallout from the Gwen situation. Dipper had gotten very sick, nearly burning himself out by absorbing too much raw rift energy. Aurora had managed to get his fever down, but he was still incredibly weak, tiring out from the simplest tasks. Pike seemed more broken than usual after the fight. Gwen had shifted into the form of someone Pike appeared to know just before Dipper ran her through, and he had held her in his arms and sobbed as she slipped away. Lexie knew Mabel had no reason to lie about something like that, but she had a hard time imagining Pike, the irreverent asshole that he was, sobbing and rocking back and forth like Mabel described. Everyone else was basically unharmed, just traumatized.

Toward the end of their conversation, Mabel had tried to talk to Lexie about Gideon. About how upset he was that he had been so easily manipulated by Gwen, and how he'd been a condescending jackass to Lexie about it all. Lexie had shut that line of conversation down almost immediately. Every time her thoughts strayed to her best friend, she felt the wolf pawing at the back of her consciousness. Lexie never would have thought Gideon could ever be a potential trigger to bring out her feral side—but somehow, now, he was.

Gideon had called Lexie on Sunday as well, multiple times. Every time his cheeky grin popped up on her phone's screen with his caller ID, she would quickly reject the call, and have to close her eyes and take deep breaths. She didn't listen to any of the voicemails he left her. He'd texted her only once, just two words: I'm sorry.

He didn't have anything to be sorry about, not really. He'd been manipulated by some kind of supernatural force. Lexie wasn't the type to hold grudges, anyhow. She was simply terrified to talk to him or be close to him now, because she didn't want to lose control of the wolf again and hurt him, or anyone else.

And so she ran. She ran until her lungs were burning, and her whole body was one big ache. If she was going to have to be near him at school, she wanted to be as physically exhausted as she could stand. If she hurt him, she'd never forgive herself.

Noticing that the forest was becoming increasingly brighter, Lexie checked the time on her phone.

"Fuck beans," she muttered breathlessly to herself. She had run further than she had planned, and now she was going to have to rush to get cleaned up before school.

Lexie wiped her forehead, and turned to run back toward town. Despite trying her hardest to wear herself out, she did not feel remotely prepared for the day ahead.

/

The silence around the Corduroy family's breakfast table was borderline awkward, but not necessarily uncomfortable. The fact that they were now "The Corduroy Family" was what made it awkward. Wendy sat across from her mom and dad, eating her toast, and searching their body language for any indication that her parents had feelings for each other. Had they ever had feelings for each other? The way they had been acting in the kitchen the morning Wendy found out that Pike was her biological father had made her think they'd been extremely close at one point. Now they were cordial to each other, but Wendy could tell each of them were consciously positioning themselves so as to ensure their bodies did not touch. Aurora had mentioned that Jessica had acted very strangely the other night when Pike had returned to town to protect Wendy from Gwen's evil machinations, but she refused to elaborate. Pike, of course, had no comment.

"Hey dad, can you pass the butter?" asked Wendy.

Wendy was starting to get used to thinking of Pike as "dad." Growing up, she had idolized her cool Uncle Ollie, who always brought the best presents, and let her ride with him on his motorcycle whenever he came to visit. On more than one occasion, (usually after being chewed out by Dan for doing something stupid), Wendy had wished that Ollie was her dad instead of Dan. The universe, it would seem, has a sense of humor—and a twisted one, at that.

The corners of Pike's mouth twitched upwards, as he handed Wendy the butter. "Here you go, Pippy."

Pike, against his better judgement, was starting to like being called "dad." He had known, of course, that Wendy was his child ever since his first visit with Dan and Jessica after Wendy's birth. The toddler was a Corduroy through and through—she even had the red hair that every Corduroy but Pike had been born with. But her eyes, the stubborn set to her jawline, the height of her cheekbones, even the shape of her nose—when Pike looked the child in the face for the first time, he'd felt like he was looking in a mirror. The DNA test he'd ordered had confirmed what he already knew to be true, but he couldn't tell anyone. Dan adored Jessica, and was happily oblivious to her seduction of his little brother on their wedding day. He didn't want to destroy Dan's family. But then, Jessica had seen to its destruction all on her own, once the rift had corrupted her.

"Pike, did you need the car today for anything?" asked Jessica, looking down into her bowl of cereal. "It's calling for rain in the early afternoon, and since you brought your bike instead of your Jeep, I thought if you needed the car you could just drop me off at the school, and then have the car until school's out and you'd come get me..."

Jessica's face reddened. She was rambling. Two days ago she had tried to seduce the father of her daughter for the _second_ time, and she had yet to make eye contact with him. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened to her, but she knew Gwen had caused it. She just remembered that after Gwen left her at the diner, she'd had a sudden and overwhelming urge to possess Pike once again, to dominate him, and make him hers. She only remembered bits and pieces of what she'd done—but it was enough. And then she'd woken up by herself on the kitchen floor, covered with the blanket from Pike's bed, with a huge knot on the back of her head, which was resting on Pike's pillow.

"Uh, no thanks, Jess," said Pike quietly. "I've ridden in the rain plenty of times. I'm good."

That was strange—she'd called him Pike. She'd only ever called him Ollie, no matter how many times he told her he went by Pike now. The most recent time he'd told her not to call him Ollie was while she was attempting to ravish him two days ago. She'd said she woken up on the kitchen floor with a headache, and didn't remember anything before that—but she wouldn't look him in the eyes, and her face reddened any time she talked to him. And she was finally calling him Pike. Oh yes, she remembered.

"Well, I need to head out so I can meet Dipper, Mabel and 'Rora," said Wendy, standing up and taking her plate to the sink. She grabbed her green flannel shirt off the back of her chair and quickly threw it on over her tank top.

"So, what, do you not have any other clothes?" Pike asked his daughter, eyeing the shirt he'd given her years ago, that seemed to be the main staple of her wardrobe.

"I have plenty of clothes, but this is my favorite," said Wendy with a shrug. "Remember why you got it for me?"

Pike grinned. "Because you hated the red your da—Dan always wanted you to wear. You wanted to stand out as an individual."

Jessica glanced at Pike, with a smile on her face, then quickly looked away again, as their eyes met. "I didn't know that. I wondered why you always wear that ratty thing, Wendy."

"It's not ratty, it's worn in and well-loved!" said Wendy, hugging herself. "But yeah, after you left, da—an got it in his head that he wanted all his kids to have matching clothes. I hate red plaid." She turned back to Pike. "Do you remember _when_ you gave it to me?"

Pike laughed. "Oh yeah—right before you were to get your family portrait done. Dan was pissed!"

Wendy glanced at the clock. "Crap, I really have to run now." She gave Pike a big hug, and then grabbed her backpack. "Bye dad. See you at school, mom," she said, and then hurried out the door.

With Wendy gone, the silence was now both awkward, and uncomfortable. Finally, as she got up to leave the room, Jess broke the silence.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked, finally looking Pike in the eye. "Wendy is just getting to know you as her dad—and you've got this group of kids who keep getting mixed up in the weirdest magical shit this town can throw at them. They look to you as their mentor. You're not going to run away and hide again, are you?"

"I'm not going anywhere," said Pike. "That's how this whole mess started—the Powers sent Gwen to try to get at me through the people I care about. If I had stayed in town I might have prevented that bullshit from going quite as far south as it did. I'm not going to abandon Wendy again. Since she knows about me now, I can at least try to give her some happy last memories of me."

Jessica opened her mouth to speak, but Pike wasn't finished.

" _However_ —I am no one's godsdamned mentor. The more time I spend with the kids, the more danger I'm putting them in. Plus, I'm still butthurt over the whole 'dealing with demons' thing. I'm handing the baton to you, Jess. You're the rift expert. Teach Dipper stuff. Teach them all stuff. Just—" Pike paused and looked down at the table in front of him. "Just make sure they're ready for whatever comes…once I'm gone."

Jessica placed her hand on Pike's shoulder, and he flinched, so she quickly pulled it away again. As she was leaving the room, she turned to look at him, her eyes full of regret.

"I wish things could have worked out differently for us. I'm sorry…Pike."

As he watched Jessica exit the kitchen, a wave of hurt washed over Pike. He hung his head in his hands. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. He finally had a family, and he was about to be ripped away from them.

Pike closed his eyes, and there, behind his eyelids, was the door. Always there. And the knocking was getting louder.

/

"Dipper, are you almost finished getting ready? Pacifica and Wendy will be here soon!" Aurora called up the stairs of the Pines house.

"Yeah…sorry…down in a minute," Dipper replied weakly from behind his bedroom door. He sat on the bed, and slipped on his socks and shoes. Then he bent over to tie his shoes, and the world started to spin around him. He tied the laces on his right shoe as quickly as he could, and then lay back on his bed with his eyes closed for a moment. His vision had started to go dark, and he didn't want to black out _again_. That would be the third time this morning.

Dipper heaved a sigh, and sat up slowly. The dizziness had subsided. He decided to just leave his left shoe untied. He eased himself off the bed, and grabbed his backpack by one of its shoulder straps, dragging it behind him. It made quite a racket, thumping loudly on each step, as Dipper slowly descended the staircase.

When he finally made it to the kitchen, Mabel was sitting at the table finishing her breakfast, while Aurora busied herself with packing lunches for the three of them. She turned around when she heard him enter the room, and handed him a plastic cup with a straw.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, holding a hand to his forehead. She was relieved that his fever had still not returned. He looked awful, however. His pale skin had a grayish tinge to it, and he had huge dark circles under his eyes, which were bloodshot.

"Fine," lied Dipper. Aurora gave him a stern look. "Okay, so I feel like a wet noodle. What's this?" he asked, looking in the cup.

"You don't have time to sit and eat breakfast, so I made you a smoothie," said Aurora. "You can drink it in the car on the way to school."

"Oh, thanks," said Dipper quietly. He felt heat in his cheeks. He still wasn't sure how to respond to the abrupt 180 in Aurora's behavior toward him. She had gone from being a potential lover, to acting like a mother hen, all within the span of a few weeks.

"Dipper, your shoe's untied," said Aurora, noticing it when she bent down to place his lunch in his backpack.

"Oh. I guess it is," replied Dipper faintly, as Aurora quickly tied the laces for him, then stood back up.

Mabel's phone chirped its text message notification. "Paz is out front. C'mon guys."

Dipper made a feeble attempt to swing his backpack up over his shoulder, and dropped it, feeling pathetic.

"Could one of you—"

"Say no more, bro-bro. I got you," said Mabel. She grabbed his backpack, and they headed out the door.

/

Wendy was walking up their driveway just as the three teens exited the house. She hadn't seen Dipper yesterday, as Aurora told everyone to just let him rest. She waved a greeting to her friends, and felt her cheeks flush when Dipper gave her a small smile and nod.

Aurora had connected Wendy's mind directly to Dipper's on Saturday evening, in order to snap Dipper out of Gwen's hold on him. She had never done that before. It hurt—a lot. Not just the physical aspect of it, which felt like sudden and intense brain-freeze, but the mental and emotional aspect of it as well. There was no filter, and it was brutal. Wendy had seen flashes of Dipper and Aurora's time together while she had been missing, felt his need for intimacy, and his guilt over being with someone else while he was still in love with Wendy. She felt what he felt on the nights he woke up screaming her name after a nightmare, and his anger at the situation that arose just as Aurora had convinced him it was time to move on from Wendy and commit to her fully. Under all of it, Wendy felt his love for her. It was strong, and deep, and persistent. Somehow she could tell that the love she was feeling from Dipper was not only a memory, but a current feeling.

Through everything, he still loved her, deeply. The intensity of it was a little overwhelming, because she was feeling it exactly as he felt it: paired with all the recent angst, fear, confusion, and heartache. The mind of Dipper Pines was a very complicated place.

Wendy had no idea how to act toward Dipper, now that she'd had time to process the flood of thoughts and emotions she'd received during their brief connection. They had never officially broken up, but they weren't together, either. That, added to the fact that Wendy had no idea what Dipper had seen and felt from _her_ mind while connected, made her feel unsure of herself, and awkward with Dipper in a way she never had before—like he was her first crush.

As she approached the car, Dipper was getting into the backseat on the passenger side, while Mabel took the front passenger seat. She walked around the car to the driver's side back door.

"Hey, 'Rora," she said, as her friend opened the door. She stood aside and waited for Aurora to get in and take the middle seat, but her friend waved her on.

"After you, Wendy," she said, with an impish grin. Now that she had given up hopes of having a romantic relationship with Dipper, it seemed that she was going to do her best to push Wendy and Dipper back together. Not that Wendy minded.

Wendy slid into the car, settling herself in the middle seat, and buckling in. Then Aurora got in, and Wendy had to squish further over toward Dipper, until their legs were touching, from hip to foot. Her cheeks reddened, and she glanced at Dipper furtively, noticing a pink tinge to his pale cheeks that hadn't been there moments ago, as he sipped his smoothie and stared out the window.

Wendy sighed inwardly, wondering if they'd ever be able to get back to where they were before she disappeared. For the moment, however, she just enjoyed being able to sit next to Dipper in silence.

/

Gideon had gotten to school early, hoping that he'd be able to finally talk to Lexie when she arrived. He sat on the steps with his elbows on his knees and his hands propping up his chin, as he searched, among the students trickling in, for his best friend.

He missed Lexie—hanging out and playing games, watching hours of mindless tv while talking and eating junk food. Her smartass comments and observations almost never failed to make him laugh. He'd been such an asshole to her for the past two weeks, that she'd stopped wanting to hang out with, or even talk to him. Of course, his mind was being manipulated, so it hadn't bothered him at the time. But it bothered him now, a great deal. If it had _only_ been two weeks of Gideon acting like a jerk, then coming to his senses, he was certain Lexie would have taken it in stride and moved on. She wasn't the type to hold grudges. However, the situation was far worse than Gideon having been an easily duped, condescending, prick.

He wasn't sure exactly how, but something _he'd_ said or done in front of Lexie had pushed her over the edge. She lost all the self-control she'd been so proud of since moving to Gravity Falls, and transformed into her fully feral wolf form.

Mabel and Pacifica told him about their encounter with Lexie near the stone table: how she'd been naked and sobbing, covered in deer blood, and terrified of losing control again and hurting someone. How she'd chosen to go spend the night with her grandfather's pack, and hopefully regain some of her self-control.

Mabel had called her on Sunday, and told Gideon that Lexie was planning to be at school the next day. Since she'd answered for Mabel, Gideon hoped she'd answer for him, so he'd tried to call her several times on Sunday as well. Every time, the phone rang once or twice, then went to voicemail. She was rejecting his calls. He decided to try a text, but didn't know what else to say, other than "I'm sorry." Of course, Lexie hadn't responded.

Gideon stood, his eyes sweeping over the arriving students, as their trickle began to increase to a steady flow. Lexie was usually here by now. What if she had changed her mind and decided to stay with Greyfang's pack, because she wanted nothing to do with Gideon ever again? That thought brought him close to having a panic attack. His heart began pounding, and he felt like he wasn't getting enough oxygen. He had to focus on taking steady, slow breaths, in order to calm down.

The fact that the thought of never seeing Lexie again had that kind of effect on him cemented in Gideon's mind something that he had been thinking about since earlier in the summer, which Mabel and Pacifica had told him everyone in their group of friends had deduced already—he was in love with his best friend. He couldn't imagine life without Lexie. The thought of never again seeing the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, or the way she talked with her hands, or of never again feeling her lean against him with her head on his shoulder while watching movies, made Gideon feel lightheaded, and sick to his stomach. He'd probably fucked up any chance of ever having a romantic relationship with her, even if she'd still be his friend.

It was almost time for the bell to ring. Gideon saw Pacifica's car pull into the parking lot, and soon all his friends were headed in his direction. Except Lexie. He bit his lower lip, and took a shuddering breath, taking one last glance at the students straggling into the building.

Out of the corner of his eye Gideon saw something that made him turn and look. A lithe female figure, in an oversized gray hoodie was bounding up the opposite side of the steps from him, toward the main doors of the school. Her hood was pulled up, but the way she moved was familiar. Then he saw the patch on her backpack—white and red, the anarchy symbol. It was her.

"Lexie!" he cried, trying to climb the steps and look at her at the same time.

She paused for a second. Gideon could see her whole body tense up. She turned her head, and the hood fell back. Her hair was still damp from her shower, a few disheveled strands hanging in her face. She met his eyes, her face unreadable, and gave a small shake of her head, before pulling her hood back up and entering the school building.

Gideon stood rooted to the spot. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. She didn't want anything to do with him.

The rest of his friends reached Gideon near the top of the stairs just as the first bell rang. They were moving slowly, for Dipper's benefit, but the poor boy still looked like he was about to pass out.

"What's wrong, Gideon?" asked Mabel. "You look like a kicked puppy."

"Lexie's here," he answered quietly. "And she hates me."

/

When the bell rang for lunch, Aurora trotted ahead to grab seats, leaving Wendy to walk at Dipper's pace, carrying his backpack. It was the first time they'd been on their own since before the whole Gwen debacle. Neither of them knew what to say. The situation felt too complicated to put into words. They were walking so slowly that the hallway had soon all but cleared out, making the silence between them obvious.

Dipper was the first to speak. "So, um… shit," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is making me remember how awkward I was around you that first summer. I have no idea what to say."

Wendy laughed softly. "You were pretty awkward. It was cute—and flattering."

Dipper flushed, and looked over at Wendy, but she was staring straight ahead. His mind went blank, and the only thing he could think of to talk about was how pretty she was. He couldn't even steel himself to say that, after what he'd seen in her mind.

Dipper knew that the Aurora situation that had occurred when Wendy suddenly reappeared had been upsetting to her, but seeing inside her mind made him come to the realization that the hurt Wendy had showed on the outside was just the tip of the iceberg. He'd seen, from her perspective, how she began to wish him happy birthday, blinked, and was suddenly staring at an older boy making out with Aurora on Dipper's bed. He watched himself run out of the bedroom, felt Wendy's heart-wrenching realization that the boy she'd seen was indeed Dipper, and he had been with someone else. The betrayal had felt like an icy knife being shoved in between her ribs, and twisted, repeatedly. Literally no time had passed for her, but suddenly her whole world was changed. She didn't know who was friend or foe, and her boyfriend (?) seemed to be dragging out his decision between Wendy and Aurora for no reason. Why was it so hard for him to choose? Had he not really loved her after all?

Dipper felt tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes as they finally reached the cafeteria, and Wendy held the door open for him.

"Thanks," he murmured, without looking up from the floor.

He had caused all Wendy's pain. He had hurt her so badly—and yet, while connected to her mind, he'd realized the reason the betrayal hurt so much was because of how deeply her love for him went. He caught glimpses of dreams Wendy had had about him, some even before they'd started dating. Dreams of having a family with him, taking their kids to the park. Wendy was in the relationship for the long haul, and she'd thought Dipper had been too. He had broken her heart—and she still loved him.

"I'm sorry, Wen," whispered Dipper, as he and Wendy approached the table where Aurora waited for them. He knew the noise level in the cafeteria was too loud for her to hear him.

"What's wrong Dipper?" asked Aurora, as he and Wendy sat down next to each other. "You look like you're about to cry."

"Oh…um… I have to sneeze, but it won't come out," he lied. Of course, she knew he was lying. Now that their bond was restored so that Aurora could filter the rift energy to help prevent it corrupting him again, she would be able to feel what he was feeling, and even read his thoughts if she chose.

Aurora pursed her lips, and raised an eyebrow at Dipper. He shot her a small smile. Aurora sighed, then spent the rest of the lunch period trying to get a conversation going between the former couple. Dipper was thankful that Aurora seemed to no longer bear any ill will toward Wendy. She had seen into both their minds, and knew the truth—they were meant to be together. They just had to get past this awkward stage first.

While Dipper, Wendy and Aurora sat near the middle of the cafeteria, their other friends had split up into pairs on opposing sides of the room. Mabel and Gideon sat next to a window, while Pacifica and Lexie were seated near the door.

Gideon was a mess. He'd bought lunch, but it sat in front of him, untouched. He kept casting furtive glances over at Lexie, wishing she'd at least look at him. She and Pacifica appeared to be having a very animated conversation.

Mabel studied Gideon's face. He really did look like a kicked puppy. His was not the face of someone who was simply sad they'd potentially lost their best friend.

"So you really do love her, huh?" she asked, as she peeled the top off a pudding cup.

"I don't want to talk about it, Mabel," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Why not?"

"Because it's personal."

"Gideon, do you consider me your friend?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah," he said, meeting her eyes, then looking away quickly.

"Well, one of the cool perks of friendship is that friends try to help each other out, and make each other feel better when they're sad," said Mabel. "I want to be able to help you feel better, but I can't if you won't talk to me. So I'll ask you again—you really do love Lexie, right?" She took a bite of pudding, and stared at him intently.

Gideon sighed, then nodded, staring blankly at the tabletop. "I've had feelings for Lex for a while. I just didn't realize how strongly I felt about her until now... I was also afraid to tell her, because I didn't know if she felt the same, and I didn't want to make things weird." He glanced over at Lexie again. "It feels like there's a hole in my chest. She's a part of me. I can't imagine my life without her."

Mabel stared at him, a spoonful of pudding raised halfway to her mouth. She stuck the spoon back into the pudding cup, and squared her shoulders.

"Gid, that is possibly the sweetest thing I've ever heard anyone say, ever," she said. "Seriously, it gave me goosebumps! We're going to fix this, okay?"

Gideon looked up at Mabel, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "You really think you can help?"

Mabel grinned. "I'm positive."

Across the cafeteria, Lexie sat in front of her unopened lunchbox, and tried to explain to Pacifica why she was avoiding her best friend.

"It's just—it's like a switch flipped in my head," she said. "The first time I ever got upset enough with him that I felt the wolf trying to get out was during an argument about Gwen. Stupid bitch."

"Surely you must have had arguments with Gideon before, though, right?" asked Pacifica, taking a bite of salad.

"Well, yeah, but about stupid stuff. Not something as important as accusing one of our friends of being a demon," said Lexie, nibbling on a cuticle. "I got really upset because he wouldn't even consider my point of view. He was so condescending about it, too."

"And Saturday—when you went full wolf—it was for pretty much the same reason, right?" asked Pacifica.

Lexie frowned. "Yeah. I might actually have been able to control it even after I started the transformation, but then I saw the way Gid looked at me—like I was a monster. After that I completely lost control." She stared down at her hands.

Pacifica took a drink from her water bottle, her brows furrowed and eyes narrowed.

"What's that look for?" asked Lexie.

"I don't think the problem is Gideon," Pacifica said finally. "I think it's _your perception_ of how he sees you."

"Uh, come again?" said Lexie. "What the hell are you talking about, Northwest?"

"Before that first argument about Gwen, he'd never been condescending to you, right? At least not about anything important?" asked Pacifica.

"Not that I can recall," said Lexie.

"And he's seen you transform plenty of times," continued Pacifica. "Has he ever given you any indication that he sees you as some kind of monster?"

"No," said Lexie. "In fact, the first time I transformed in front of him, he made a cute joke about how 'Beauty _is_ the Beast.'" The corners of her mouth twitched upward at the memory.

"Oh, honey, you've got it bad," said Pacifica with a smirk. "You've got it _so bad_ , and you don't even see it."

Lexie stared at her blankly. "I don't follow. I've got _what_ bad?"

Pacifica sighed. "Okay, so the trigger for you losing control of your furry side? If I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I am—it's that you thought Gideon had started to see you as stupid and/or naïve. Then, what finally pushed you over the edge into full-on White Fangdom was that you thought he was scared of you, or saw you as a monster. All those issues were caused by Gwen manipulating him. Which means, since she's not manipulating him anymore, it should be safe for you to be around him."

A grin slowly spread across Lexie's face. "That actually makes sense, Paz. You have no idea how much better you just made me feel!"

Pacifica nodded sagely. "Like I said… you've got it _bad_."

"You keep saying that. What the hell do you mean?" asked Lexie.

Pacifica facepalmed. "Okay Lexie, let me spell it out for you. You. Are. In. Love. With. Gideon."

Lexie laughed nervously. "What? That's the dumbest—what would make you think…" Her cheeks flushed as she trailed off.

Pacifica placed her elbows on the table, and folded her hands in front of her face. "Search your feelings; you know it to be true."

Lexie raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Lord Vader. Let's say it is true. And let's say I've never actually been in a romantic relationship before, and I'm terrified. Is there any help in the Empire for someone like me?"

"I will have to consult with Darth Mabel, but there may yet be hope for you," said Pacifica. Then she grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. "A new hope, even."

Lexie burst into a fit of giggles. Even though she was thoroughly worn out from her morning run, she felt better now than she had in weeks.

Mrs. Corduroy stood in the doorway of the cafeteria, watching the dispersed group of friends with interest. Pacifica, of all people, had Lexie nearly in tears from her laughter. Gideon and Mabel were having a very earnest-looking conversation, and Gideon was even smiling a bit, which was a vast improvement from when she'd seen him earlier that morning. And Aurora had gone from being Wendy's rival to her biggest cheerleader, trying to nudge Dipper and Wendy into conversation, in hopes of piecing together the broken shards of their former relationship.

As happy as Jessica was that the healing had begun for Wendy and her friends, it was bittersweet. Pike wasn't going to be around much longer, and he wanted Jessica to take over as their mentor. With that in mind, Mrs. Corduroy caught Aurora's eye, and beckoned her over.

"Aurora, can you please spread the word amongst your friends that I would like to meet with you all in my classroom after school?"

"Why, is something wrong?" asked Aurora, clearly worried.

"No, sweetie, everything's fine," Jessica reassured her. _For now_.

/

The cliff overlooking the lake had always been a good place to go to think, to contemplate, and to just _be_. As Pike was trying to avoid drinking his remaining days away, he needed to get out of the house, and the cliff was as good a place as any to meditate on his current situation. He stood near the edge, the wind whipping at his clothes, and stared out into the open air.

He was tired of fighting. Tired of trying to do everything right, to help protect people—only to get shat on by life again and again. People kept telling him he was more powerful than a normal mortal should be, like he wasn't aware of the fact. As if he hadn't studied, worked his ass off, and sacrificed nearly _everything_ dear to him, to attain the kind of power he was capable of wielding. The tattoos, the sigils, and the scars covering his body were all there for a reason. They all had a story, and a purpose. They were a daily visual reminder to himself that he wasn't important in the grand scheme of things—just a tool. A protector. His life didn't matter, but all those that he guarded from harm, whether they were aware of his protection or not, did matter. They were the Destined, and he was their shield.

But the fight was never-ending. No matter how much he tried, he felt like what he did was never enough—that it never helped stem the flow of unending evil that seeped into this reality from the multitude of hell dimensions. It was beginning to feel pointless to keep trying. Why did he even bother anymore? What was the point of trying to be a good guy if those you tried to help were constantly turning their back on you—betraying you?

Pike sighed, and ran his hands through his hair, as a light patter of cool rain began to fall. The answer to his question, why he even bothered fighting anymore, was Wendy. She may not be one of the Destined, but her fate was inextricably linked to those who were. She was always going to be in danger, if not because of her mother, whose Destiny had nearly destroyed her whole family, then because of Dipper. The Destined always put their loved ones in danger, whether they intended to or not.

If Pike was not going to be around much longer, that was all the more reason to keep fighting. To try to take as much danger out of the world with him as possible, to create a safer world for his daughter. He had to keep fighting, and he would—until the bitter end.

As the rain began to fall harder, Pike put his helmet on and got back on his motorcycle. He roared back toward Gravity Falls, the rain pounding his body. The noise it made almost drowned out the sound of the knocking coming from the door. Almost.

/

As the last bell of the day rang, Mrs. Corduroy's English 12 students scrambled to leave her classroom. All, of course, except Wendy, Dipper, and Aurora. They remained in their seats, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive, while Jessica sat at her computer and sent a few e-mails. Gideon was the first to show up. He mumbled a greeting, and took a seat next to Dipper, near the window. He was followed shortly by Mabel, Pacifica, and Lexie. Despite the relief Lexie felt after her conversation at lunch with Pacifica, she was still nervous to be so close to Gideon after what had happened Saturday, especially now that she had finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him. While Mabel and Pacifica took seats with the rest of them, Lexie remained standing, close to the door, hugging herself nervously. She was prepared to bolt if she had to.

Gideon glanced at Lexie, his cheeks warm. She was avoiding looking at him, and, he noticed, trembling slightly. As if she could feel him looking at her, her eyes flitted toward him, and locked with his for a split second. He felt his heartbeat quicken. There was no sign of yellow in her eyes. Her cheeks reddened, and she looked down at the floor. He looked over at Mabel, who was whispering excitedly with Pacifica about something. She had seen the interaction, and flashed him a grin and a thumbs up.

"Okay," said Jessica, closing her laptop, and standing up. "I just wanted to let you all know that from here on out, I will be taking over your respective training sessions. I know that those of you who have worked with Pike before are a bit out of practice due to…recent events. So I am going to set aside a few hours each week to train you individually, or in groups, depending on the skill sets being practiced."

Pacifica frowned. " _All_ of us? Only Dipper, Gideon, and sometimes Lexie train with Pike."

Jessica nodded. "Given the types of danger you kids frequently seem to find yourselves in, it is important that you all develop skills that can aid you in combat, at least if only to defend yourselves."

"That does make sense," said Dipper quietly. "It would actually make me feel a lot better knowing that my friends can take care of themselves if I… screw up again." He looked down at his hands, and then unexpectedly, he felt a warm hand rest on his knee and squeeze. He felt his ears redden, as he looked up at the hand's owner.

"Stop beating yourself up, dork," said Wendy, with a small smile. "Shit happens. We all make mistakes."

He smiled back her gratefully, and before she could remove her hand, he placed his on top of hers, and interlaced their fingers.

"Wendy is right, Dipper," said Jessica. "There's no sense dwelling on the past now. We have to prepare for what lies ahead."

"Well, if we're all training, what kinds of training will you be doing with us?" asked Mabel. "I mean, Dipper and Gid have their magic and stuff, but what about everyone else?"

"With Dipper, of course, I will work on helping him control his gift, and come to a better understanding of the nature of the rift. Aurora will attend those sessions, as well," said Jessica.

"Gideon, I will work with you on both offensive and defensive magic. You have a very good grasp of both, but from what I've seen from you, you have a great deal of untapped power, and the potential expand your abilities further than you might have imagined."

Gideon nodded, pleased, if not slightly embarrassed at the compliment.

"Mabel," said Jessica, turning to the brunette, "I know you have visions, but they are infrequent and vague. There are meditations and techniques I will help you study, which will allow you to both purposely induce the visions, and clarify their meanings."

"Oh," said Mabel, surprised. "That would definitely be useful to know!"

"Pacifica and Wendy, I would like to train you in creature identification and threat assessment, as well as basic defensive martial arts," continued Jessica.

Wendy and Pacifica looked at each other and shrugged.

"And Lexie," said Jessica, looked at the werewolf fidgeting by the door. "We all know you are a force to be reckoned with, so I am going to work with you on combat tactics and strategy. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good," Lexie said quietly, in lieu of one of her characteristic smartass remarks.

"I feel that training in this manner will benefit you all greatly, and help you work more cohesively as a team, should you find yourselves in danger," said Jessica, her eyes scanning everyone's faces. "It is similar to how we did things when I was young—before I became corrupted, of course," she added. "I was the magic wielder, Daniel was the muscle, and Jacob, the brains."

Dipper frowned. "What was Pike, then?"

"Pike was younger than us by a couple years," answered Jessica. "We didn't want to be responsible for him getting hurt, so we kept him out of it. Or, I should say, we _tried_ to." Jessica smiled. "He always seemed to get tangled up in some kind of danger, often without us knowing. He became pretty resourceful on his own. As we got older, it seemed like he actually knew more than we did."

"So where is he now?" asked Dipper. "Does he not want to train us anymore because I was such an asshole? Because I'll apologize. I—"

"Dipper, please don't blame yourself. Pike understands how much rift corruption can warp a person—better than most," she said, blushing.

"It's because… it's because he's supposed to die soon, isn't it mom?" asked Wendy. Dipper tightened his grasp on her hand.

Jessica nodded sadly. "He asked that I take over your training, because he wants us all to be prepared for the inevitable—that he will not be with us much longer."

/

After meeting with Jessica, the group all left school in the same manner they'd arrived. Lexie had snuck off before anyone realized she'd gone, and booked it home, relieved that she'd been able to control herself in the same room as Gideon, even after they'd made awkward eye contact, but still too scared to talk to him yet.

Gideon, disappointed at Lexie's secretive departure, said his goodbyes to everyone else, and trudged home, lost in thought.

The rest rode back to the Pines house in Pacifica's car. Aurora, Mabel, and Pacifica had all looked at each other excitedly when they made it in the house, and heard Dipper ask Wendy if she wanted to go up to his room and watch tv.

Of course, Wendy agreed.

After Wendy helped him up the stairs, Dipper was happy to fall back onto his bed. The exertion just from walking up the steps had caused him to sweat, his damp hair to sticking to his forehead.

"Are you okay, Dip?" asked Wendy, concerned. "Can I go get you some water or something?"

"No, don't go," said Dipper, a little too quickly. His cheeks pink, he continued. "I mean, I'm fine. You don't have to do anything for me."

"Okay," said Wendy, softly. She pulled Dipper's desk chair out, and sat in it backwards, facing him. "What did you want to watch?"

"You choose," said Dipper, trying to stifle a yawn. "I'll probably end up falling asleep anyway." He kicked his shoes off, letting them fall to the floor, and curled up against his pillows.

Wendy grabbed the remote from the corner of the desk, and began flipping channels. She really didn't care what they watched. She was just happy Dipper actually wanted her around again. Finally, she settled on one of the movie channels, which was showing a B-movie marathon.

When Wendy turned back to Dipper, his eyes were closed, and his breathing even. Although still sickly, he looked peaceful, and even happy, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly. She had to resist the urge to get up and lay next to him. A single tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away absently. She had missed this.

"Dipper," she whispered softly, "what are we?"

Without opening his eyes, Dipper cracked a smile, and replied "I'm pretty sure we're human beings."

"Oh, sorry…I thought you were asleep," said Wendy, her cheeks warm. "I just… I meant…our relationship. We never actually broke up…but we are broken up, aren't we? We have been, ever since I reappeared."

Dipper leaned up on an elbow so he could look Wendy in the eye. "What do you want us to be?" he asked earnestly, his brown eyes warm.

Wendy looked down at her hands. She could feel her eyes starting to well up.

"I just want us to be what we always should have been," she said softly. "Together."

Dipper saw tears beginning to drip down onto Wendy's hands. "Wen?"

She looked up at him, silent tears trickling slowly down her cheeks. "Yeah?" she asked.

"I want that too," said Dipper gently. "Will you please lie down here with me? I haven't properly held you in forever."

Wendy half laughed, half sobbed, as she jumped out of the desk chair. Dipper scooted over so she could climb into bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, as she curled against him. It felt right.

/

After Dipper and Wendy went upstairs together, Pacifica and Mabel sat in the kitchen and compared notes about their lunchtime conversations with Lexie and Gideon. They came to the conclusion that all the best friends needed was a gentle nudge in the right direction. They were both obviously head over heels for each other, but scared to move things forward. Mabel and Pacifica decided that the best course of action would be to get the two of them together, and then leave them alone to figure things out on their own.

Aurora, who was puttering around the kitchen and getting ready to start making dinner, suggested that they invite the pair over to the Pines' house, as a sort of neutral ground. Especially since Lexie still held on to the lingering fear that she would lose control of herself and hurt Gideon. That way, everyone else would be nearby to help, in the unlikely event that she actually did lose control.

Mabel sent Gideon a text explaining the plan, reassuring him that he just needed to be honest with Lexie, and she was sure things would work out in his favor. She didn't, however, tell him that Lexie was in love with him—she wanted Lexie to do that herself. Pacifica sent a similar text to Lexie, emphasizing that all her friends would be nearby, _just in case_.

Gideon arrived about ten minutes before Lexie. The girls stayed in the kitchen, while he sat in his usual spot on the loveseat, becoming increasingly nervous. What if Mabel was wrong? What if Lexie had just decided to tell him in person that she was done associating with him? Or what if he poured his heart out to her, and she laughed?

Palms sweaty, and heart pounding, Gideon realized he was starting to work himself into a panic attack. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on taking slow, deep breaths, vaguely wondering if what he was feeling was similar to what Lexie felt when she was beginning to lose control. It wasn't a good feeling. Lost in thought, he didn't hear the door open and close quietly.

"Gideon?"

His eyes flew open and his pulse quickened. Lexie stood in front of the door, still dressed in her gray, oversized hoodie, her hands nervously balled into fists at her sides.

"Hey sugar," said Gideon, his voice quavering slightly. His cheeks felt hot.

Lexie swallowed. She didn't know what to say. Gideon was watching her with those wide blue eyes of his, like he was scared—but not in the same way he'd looked at her when she lost control. He looked as vulnerable as she felt. Beginning to feel lightheaded, Lexie sat down on the sofa across the room from Gideon, and hugged her knees to her chest.

Gideon looked hurt. "Why won't you come near me anymore?" he asked quietly.

Lexie rested her head against her knees for a moment. "Because I'm scared," she said, looking back up.

Gideon furrowed his brow. "Scared of what, sugar? You _know_ I don't bite," he said, attempting a small smile.

"But _I_ do, Gid," she said, her voice soft, and completely serious. "I—I don't wanna hurt you."

Lexie was trembling. Gideon could see it from across the room. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to hug her and tell her everything would be okay.

"Lex, sweetie, we hang out all the time," said Gideon. "Well, we did, anyway. You never worried about this before. What's changed?"

Lexie's eyes were wet, and she angrily wiped away the single tear that slid down her cheek. "You saw the monster I turned into on Saturday," she said bitterly. "I'm dangerous."

"You're not a monster," said Gideon. He almost sounded angry. "Don't call yourself that. And besides, I've seen you transform plenty of times before."

"Yeah, but this time was different, Gid," said Lexie. She couldn't keep looking at him. She held her fists against her eyes, and let the words pour out. "I completely lost control. I went feral, like I used to be before I came to Gravity Falls and learned to control the wolf. I could have bitten—even killed any one of you if I hadn't made it out of the house in time. I can't risk that. I can't."

Lexie sounded like she was about to cry. Gideon had never heard her like this, and it was destroying him.

"But Lexie, why am I the only one you refuse to come near?" he asked. "You don't seem scared that you're going to go feral around anyone else. Why me?"

Lexie took a deep breath, and looked back up at him. "Because I'm in love with you, dumbass!" She waited for him to laugh, or act confused, and tried to mentally steel herself for humiliating rejection.

Gideon was quiet for a moment, and then a smile slowly spread across his face. "I'm in love with you, too, Lexie."

She stared at him, her face blank. "What?" That was not the response she had expected.

Gideon's heart was pounding, but this time it didn't feel like the beginning of a panic attack. "I love you, sugar," he said softly.

Lexie began to feel lightheaded again. She closed her eyes, and clenched her fists tightly.

"Lex? Are you okay?" asked Gideon. He crossed the room and sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Lexie's breathing quickened. It was the wolf. She felt it, pawing at the edges of her consciousness. It was different, though. Not feral. It wasn't trying to take her over. It wanted something.

"This is…new," said Lexie, her voice shaking slightly. "I uh…I've never experienced this before."

"What is it?" asked Gideon, worriedly.

"The wolf…" said Lexie slowly. She opened her eyes, and looked at Gideon. Her eyes glowed a soft amber color, as opposed to the sharp yellow they turned when she transformed. "It wants to…" she trailed off. She could see his pulse pounding at the base of his throat. She reached out, and touched the pulse point, feeling it quicken.

Gideon put his hand on hers. He didn't look scared. Rather, he appeared concerned, and curious.

Lexie leaned against him, and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. She took a shuddering breath. Although the wolf wasn't taking over, her sense of smell was becoming sharper. She sniffed him.

"Uh, sug-sugar," stammered Gideon, "what exactly is happening? I feel like I should probably know…"

Lexie had never really paid attention to Gideon's scent before when she was transformed, as she was usually busy fighting. She liked the way he smelled. It was an earthy smell, like the forest floor, with a hint of spice to it—cloves? There was also the warm scent of roses.

"I can smell your magic," Lexie murmured. "It smells like roses."

Her warm breath on his neck sent what felt like a jolt of electricity throughout his body.

"Mmmm, really would like to know what it is your wolf is wantin', sugar," Gideon said, his breath becoming ragged. When he'd thought about confessing his feelings to Lexie, he had not anticipated that…whatever this was…would be the first thing to happen.

"It wants to mate," she whispered in his ear.

"Al-already?" asked Gideon, trying to remember to breathe. "Shouldn't I buy it dinner first, or something?"

Lexie leaned back, so she could look at Gideon. His face was flushed, and he had his eyes shut. She placed her hand against his cheek, and he opened his eyes.

"Don't worry, Gideon," Lexie said softly. "I think I should be able to keep this side of the wolf in check…for awhile."

He looked into her eyes, and watched as the amber glow slowly faded, until they finally reverted to their normal, brilliant shade of blue.

"Wow, sugar…" said Gideon. He took a deep breath in through his nose, and blew it out through his mouth. "That was…unexpected."

Lexie leaned back against the sofa, her face white. She could _not_ believe she had just done that. "That was. Uh. Shit," she muttered. "I didn't… I've never—"

Lexie gasped, as suddenly Gideon's lips were on hers, in a soft kiss. He pulled away and smiled at her. She grinned, and pulled him back against her forcefully, this time for a firmer, more passionate kiss. Lexie was lost in the pleasure of the moment, until she felt Gideon's tongue sweep softly against her teeth, and a jolt of realization hit her.

"Gid," she said, pushing him away gently. "You—we—have to be careful."

Gideon furrowed his brow. "I thought you said you could control that part of the wolf...for now…"

"That's not what I mean, Gid," she said, shaking her head. "My teeth. I don't have to fully bite someone for them to get the werewolf virus from me… It could happen if I so much as scrape your skin enough to draw the smallest amount of blood."

"Is that so?" said Gideon faintly. "Fancy that. That there is a useful piece of information for someone who's going to be dating a werewolf."

The sexual tension of the moment considerably dampened, the new couple sat quietly next to each other holding hands.

"Hey sugar?" asked Gideon, after a minute.

"Yeah, Gid?"

"This newly discovered wolf part of you? It's not going to make you start humping my leg, is it?"

Lexie turned and looked at Gideon, unsure of whether or not he was serious. He favored her with a broad grin.

Lexie chuckled softly, and leaned her head against Gideon's shoulder. "I'll cut you," she murmured.

/

In the kitchen, Mabel and Pacifica sat next to each other, playing footsie under the table, while Aurora stood at the counter, cutting up vegetables.

"I really want to peek into the living room and see if there's been any progress on the Gideon/Lexie front," said Mabel. She turned to Pacifica. "Is it weird how invested I am in their potential relationship?"

Pacifica laughed, and leaned over to give Mabel a quick kiss. They were trying to not act too overtly coupley in front of Aurora, now that she'd relinquished her claim on Dipper.

"No, it's sweet, Mabes," she said. "You want them to be happy."

Mabel threw her head back dramatically. "Ugh, I just ship them so much! Why are they so stinking cute together? That level of cuteness should not be legal!"

"Oh my gosh, speaking of cuteness—did anyone else notice how adorably awkward Wendy and Dipper were acting around each other earlier?" asked Pacifica, glancing at the ceiling. "I wonder how they're doing up there?"

"They are doing well," said Aurora from behind them. She sniffled. Mabel turned to see if she was chopping onions. She was not.

"Oh, 'Rora, I'm sorry," said Mabel, standing up and putting an arm around her friend's shoulders. "I forgot you can feel what Dipper's feeling… and Wendy too, I guess."

Aurora turned to face her. Her eyes were glistening, but she was smiling. "Don't be sorry, Mabel. I am not. My empathic abilities do not only extend to them, but to people I've grown close to, and spend a lot of time around. The reason I'm crying," she said, wiping her eyes, "is because for the first time in a long, long time, _everyone_ in this house is happy."

The realization hit Mabel slowly. That meant Dipper and Wendy must have made up. And Gideon and Lexie…

Mabel grinned so widely that she thought her cheeks were going to break. She looked at Pacifica. "We are relationship _geniuses_!" she cried with a whoop.

"Well, as relationship geniuses, perhaps you can help me try to mend one more broken relationship," said Aurora, sitting down at the table across from Pacifica. Mabel resumed her previous position next to her girlfriend.

"Er, who would that be?" asked Pacifica, raising one eyebrow.

"Jessica and Pike," said Aurora.

"Um, 'Rora, they aren't a couple," said Mabel. "As far as we know, they never were, right? Wendy was the product of a one-time…indiscretion, while Jess was corrupted by the rift."

"I believe it is more complicated than that," said the dragoness. She folded her hands in front of her, and sighed. "I feel a bit guilty telling you this, but you two do seem to have a knack for helping people with their interpersonal relationships."

"Guilty? Okay, now I'm intrigued," said Pacifica. "Spill it, Aurora."

"Do you remember me saying that Pike and I had an…altercation with Jessica on Saturday? That she was acting very out of character, and I thought Gwen had something to do with it?" asked Aurora.

Mabel and Pacifica nodded.

"But you wouldn't go into detail about what exactly the altercation _was_ ," said Mabel.

Aurora smiled sardonically. "There was a reason for that. Jessica was at the house when I had arrived to wait on Pike. I had told her what I overheard of Gwen's plans to kill Wendy, and she did not act concerned at all. Rather, she was particularly interested in the fact that Pike was on his way back from Seattle. I blacked out shortly thereafter, and although I don't remember it happening, I found out it was from a blow to the head with a cast iron skillet. It actually still hurts," she said, rubbing the back of her head.

Pacifica and Mabel winced in sympathy, and waited for Aurora to continue her story.

"I am not sure how long I was out. When I woke up, I was in Wendy's bed. I heard voices in the kitchen, and went to investigate. I walked in on Jessica and Pike in a very compromising position," said Aurora, blushing at the memory. "She had apparently knocked him unconscious as well, and while he was out, had disrobed him and tied him to a kitchen chair."

Pacifica gasped, and covered her mouth, while Mabel's eyes widened.

"What?!" spat the brunette.

"That is not all," said Aurora, her tone hushed. "Her back was to me, and she was kneeling between Pike's legs…doing…things…to him."

"Oh my god," breathed Pacifica. "And he was _letting_ her?"

"Well, as I said, he was bound, and tightly. He did appear quite conflicted, like he was upset with himself for…enjoying what she was doing. Then he saw me, and mouthed for me to help him. I found the skillet Jessica had used to knock both of us unconscious, and he encouraged me to use it on her." Aurora's face was becoming increasingly red in her embarrassment. "I was worried she would bite…uh. Anyway, I used the skillet to knock her out, and as soon I cut his bonds, he ran to put clothes on. What struck me as odd, was that when he returned to the kitchen, he placed a pillow under Jessica's head, and covered her with a blanket. The way he lifted her head was so gentle… and the look on his face, as he draped the blanket over her—he was looking at her with something not unlike love, mixed with regret."

"Wow," said Pacifica.

"Yeah, wow pretty much sums it up," said Mabel, nodding.

"Oh, but I am not finished," said Aurora. "Remember how I was with Wendy the morning she found out that Pike is her father?"

Both girls nodded.

"The reason we overheard their conversation, is because Wendy was snooping. Her mother and Pike were in the kitchen, and Pike was making breakfast. They were acting differently toward each other than normal. Pike sounded happy—light-hearted. He was practically flirting with Jessica, and she was eating it up. Well, then their conversation turned to the conception of Wendy, and you know how that turned out," said Aurora. "In the aftermath of Pike's departure, Jessica explained to Wendy what you've already heard a very basic version of—that she seduced Pike on her wedding day, while under the influence of the rift's corruption. She also said something that I found interesting—that they'd been best friends as children, and he became increasingly distant with her after she started dating Dan. She seemed to think that the distance he held her at was due to the corruption of the rift growing within her. I am not so sure, based on the interactions I've seen between them. Of course, I am sure the rift corruption was part of it, but I do think it also had to do with him being hurt that she chose Dan over him."

"So…you want us to help them become a couple, or something?" asked Pacifica.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea, since Pike's supposed to die soon," said Mabel, remembering her vision of Pike, laying in a field, covered in blood. "That would just make things more difficult for Jess and Wendy when it happens."

"No, I agree," said Aurora. "However, based on the feelings I've picked up from them when they are together, they both need to clear the air with each other. I just wish there was some way for us to facilitate that. Do you think that is something that would be possible for us to do? Or would it be too meddlesome?"

Mabel looked thoughtful. "I'm honestly not sure," she said. "What about you, Paz?"

Pacifica pursed her lips. "We're gonna have to really give this some thought," she said.

Aurora nodded. "I understand. I…I just want everyone to be happy."

/

Lillith reclined on a red velvet fainting couch of her own creation, after complaining that the Powers and the Firsts simply didn't know how to live. The five powers stared down at her from their seats at the large, wooden table, faces inscrutable behind their drawn hoods. Darquesse and Nimueh sat on opposite sides of the group; one, constantly flickering chaotically between forms, shifting like oil on water, while the other took the form of a small blond child, her hands folded primly in front of her on the table.

"Are you prepared to begin the next stage of your plan, Lillith?" asked one of the older, male Powers.

"Oh, you have no idea just how prepared I am," purred the hell queen.

"You _are_ aware that Pike is an expert on the type of creature you intend to pit him against, are you not?" asked the older female Power. "He has even surpassed the Slayer in that regard. Not even a full coven may be enough to bring him to his knees."

Lillith smiled malevolently. "Oh, honey, I'm _quite_ aware. In fact, I'm fairly certain he _will_ survive the battle. I'm counting on it, even. However, not all of his little ragtag group of charges are likely to be so lucky. Pike does not care whether he lives or dies, so the perfect way to draw out his torture, is for him to have to watch as one-by-one those he cares about are slain—in the most horrible ways imaginable."

Darquesse moaned, as if aroused by the thought. "My, but you are an evil bitch, aren't you, my dear?"

Lillith batted her eyelashes coyly at the First Evil. "I do my best," she said with a wink.

"You are so sure of yourself," said Nimueh. "Remember, however, even when it appears that Pike is on the defensive, he often surprises us with new tricks he has hidden up his sleeve."

Lillith waved her hand dismissively at the First Good. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, sweetheart. He may have some surprises held back—but so do I."

"You would do well to reign in your ego, Lillith," said an older male Power, his tone sharp. "No mortal has ever come close to the level of power that Pike has at his disposal, and we are not even certain where or how he obtained such power. He has power equal to, or even surpassing most of the Destined."

Lillith's smile faltered. "How is that even possible, if he has no Destiny? No mortal should be physically capable of controlling Destiny-level power. He should have burned himself out long ago!"

The Powers and Firsts remained silent, although Lillith could tell they were casting furtive glances at each other. They were holding something back from her—but what?

/

The light of day slowly faded, the sunset painting the sky with pale streaks of purple, yellow, and orange. The autumn air was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Laughter floated outside from the Pines' house. Everyone was in a lighthearted mood, because not only had Dipper and Wendy finally reconciled, but Gideon and Lexie had finally confessed their feelings to each other, and were now a couple.

Aurora had called Jessica, and invited her and Pike over for dinner that evening. She wanted everyone together, she had said, because families should celebrate together, and she considered all of them family. Pike had planned on declining the invitation, until Jessica told him what Aurora had said. Family. Wendy was finally happy again, and he should be there for her.

That is what led to Pike and Jessica relaxing on the Pines' front porch, while Aurora finished preparing the meal. They had originally ventured inside, but decided, for Wendy's sake, to wait outside. No teenage girl wants her parents hanging around with her and her friends when they are just sitting around, goofing off.

Pike leaned up against the porch railing, while Jessica reclined on the front steps. They still felt awkward around each other after the "incident" on Saturday, and whether unconsciously or not, were maintaining a bubble of distance between their bodies. They stared at the sky, both lost in thought. Finally, Pike worked up the nerve to ask Jessica about something she'd said earlier that had been bothering him all day.

"Jess?"

She turned and looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"What did you mean this morning when you said you wished things could have worked out differently for us?"

Jessica was thankful that the low light of dusk obscured her features, because she blushed furiously. "I meant it exactly how it sounds, Pike."

"Different how, though?" he persisted.

Jessica turned back around, unable to look at Pike as she answered him. "I… I wish it had been you instead of Dan."

Pike was silent. What the hell did she mean by that? She had never expressed any romantic interest in him when they were younger. She was his big brother's friend, and then lover, first and foremost. Even if Pike had been interested in Jess, she never would have given him the time of day. She, Dan, and Jacob left him in the dust whenever possible. Maybe she thought that their one intimate encounter had actually meant something, and had been a romantic tryst? Pike almost laughed. If that was her line of thinking, she was sorely mistaken. She had used her rift magic to seduce him. She had raped him.

Jessica didn't know how to take Pike's absolute silence at her admission. She fidgeted with her car keys, and tried to remain calm. She had spoken with complete sincerity. She'd certainly cared for Dan, but she regretted marrying him. He'd adored her; nearly worshipped the ground she walked on. That's what she had loved about him. His love for her. But she was never _in love_ with him. She had realized far too late that Oliver was the Corduroy she'd actually fallen for. He felt like home to her, in a way that Dan never had. Although Jessica regretted the horrible and selfish way she had acted in seducing and raping Pike, it had been one last desperate, misguided attempt at awakening feelings in him for her. Feelings that at one point, she'd thought he'd had—up until she chose Dan. That's when he began to shut her out.

Jessica jumped, startled, as Pike finally spoke again.

"Jess, I don't know what alternate reality you're living in, but… _me_ instead of Dan?" He scoffed. "When was I ever even a choice? We weren't close like that, remember? I was the annoying little brother who tried to tag along on all his big brother's adventures with friends."

Jessica felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. What alternate reality was s _he_ living in? Did he really not remember that they were best friends growing up? That yeah, he was younger, so they didn't always let him tag along on their adventures, but it was because she didn't want him to get hurt! Jessica had always spent the majority of her time with Ollie, up until the point Dan had started pursuing her romantically. She found she loved the attention, and loved the way he doted on her. Before officially becoming Dan's girlfriend, she had tried to flirt with Oliver the way she flirted with Dan, but he only asked her why she was acting so dumb, and carried on with whatever he was doing. Choosing to value attention rather than actual friendship, she'd made the worst mistake of her life: she chose Dan.

Jessica finally opened her mouth to respond, when the night took on an unearthly glow.

"What—" said Pike, looking up at the moon. "What the hell?"

The full moon shone blood red, turning the pleasant evening into a macabre canvas of crimson-tinged darkness. A thick, black mist then rose through the night air, obscuring the entirety of the moon's glow, save for a corona of red light around its outer edges. The night was cast into almost complete darkness.

"Uh…fuck…" said Pike, processing what he was seeing. "Jess, we need to get inside, _now_."

It was only supposed to be a legend. The Powers had to be behind this.

Pike opened the door, and pushed Jessica inside, following closely behind her. He shut the door quickly behind him, and locked the deadbolt. The living room went silent as the teens all took in Pike's appearance. They had never seen him look quite this pale or terrified.

"Pike, what's wrong?" asked Dipper, from his seat on the couch next to Wendy.

Pike swallowed. "Vampires. Vampires are coming. An entire fucking army of them."

/

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 23: Race The Dawn

/

 **SHOUTOUTS!  
pittbuck, Ultimate Spider Girl, specopspaul, Zepyhr-of-Shadows, scroghmc, Attack on Gravity, LimboticMistisos, TGGDSD, fereality, Jack Diabrew, Gamer Guy aka. Batman, TheDemonEmperorLelouch. You guys are awesome and leave the best reviews. Thank You Guys so much.**

 **Geekngroom. You are the absolute best. The Gideon/Lexie scenes would have been so blah if it wasn't for you. You ship them so hard.**

 **TGGDSD, keep being awesome my friend, thanks for your support.**

 **Peace**


	23. Race The Dawn

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

 **Race The Dawn**

As the sun set, and its soft glow faded into a velvet twilight, a few cars pulled into the overlook above the lake, parking far enough away from each other to give their occupants the illusion of privacy. One by one, the windows of the cars began to fog up. Some of the cars began to rock.

"C'mon Mary," whined the male occupant of the car parked closest to the forest, as he pressed kisses against his girlfriend's neck. "You keep saying you'll put out, then when we have the chance, you always say you don't feel like it. Do you not want me?"

The girl sighed and pulled away. "This again, really Sam? I told you, I want our first time to be special… not in a cramped car at 'make out point.'"

"Mmmm, so does that mean if we go somewhere else you'll give it up?" asked Sam, leaning in to kiss Mary, and sliding his hand up under her shirt.

Mary gasped, but not for the reason Sam would have liked. "What was that noise?" she asked, looking around frantically.

"I didn't hear anything, baby. You're just being paranoid," he murmured into her neck.

She pushed him away, becoming upset. "No, something's not right, Sam. Why'd it get so dark all of a sudden?"

Sam never got the chance to answer, as suddenly two wrinkled, pale hands with nails as sharp as talons, crashed through the window behind him, and pulled him screaming into the night.

Sam's screams cut off with a gurgle, as a dark spray of blood spattered across the windshield.

Screams and malevolent laughter echoed through the night. Mary tried her best to crawl between the seats and hide, but her pounding pulse gave her away. A pale face peered in the broken window; handsome, with a chiseled jaw, his jet-black hair swept back from a pronounced widow's peak. He grinned wickedly at Mary, exposing long, sharp canine teeth.

"Oh, ze kitten doesn't vant to come out and play?" he asked, his English thick with some kind of Eastern-European accent.

Mary shook her head, too paralyzed to speak.

"Zen I guess I will haff to come in," he said, reaching through the broken window to unlock the doors.

Mary's shriek echoed off the surrounding cliffs, before fading into the night.

A perky, blonde cheerleader sashayed out of the woods, taking in the carnage that had occurred within only about fifteen minutes of her troops' arrival. The windows of all the parked cars were smashed in, and exsanguinated bodies lay strewn about, splayed in odd positions, like pale ragdolls. She smiled, and nodded.

"Yes, I think you all will do very nicely," said Lillith, her eyes shining red in the darkness, lit by some inner source. She noticed a grotesque, bald and wrinkly sewer dweller attempting to sneak up behind a high noble, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent the sewer dweller plummeting over the side of the cliff.

"Let that be a warning," said Lillith, her sultry voice commanding respect. "Each subspecies must put aside old quarrels. Remember, you are all vampires, whether you are high noble, sewer dweller, grungecore, or a newly turned, run-of-the-mill virus-infected vamp. We are all here for the same purpose. You can go back to your petty quarrels on your own time, but for now, we have a town to ravage."

A throaty cheer went up among the hoard of undead.

Lillith smiled. "You may kill or turn whomever you so please—anyone _except_ Pike. He is _mine_ to deal with. Although that doesn't mean you can't rough him up a bit. Now shoo," she said, flapping her hand at her minions. "Go have fun."

/

The occupants of the Pines' living room were all completely silent. An _army_ of vampires, Pike had said. He looked terrified and twitchy enough that they believed him. He raced around the lower floor of the house, making sure windows were closed and locked, muttering to himself. He dug into one of his hidden coat pockets, and withdrew a bottle of aspirin. He opened it, tilted two pills out into his hand, and popped them in his mouth, swallowing them without water. He then handed the bottle to Jessica.

"Make sure everyone takes two of these. You too," he said, before wandering off again, to double and triple check the perimeter.

"Aspirin? How the hell is that supposed to help us?" asked Dipper, skeptically.

Jessica shrugged. "I'm not sure… but I do know vampires are Pike's, uh, area of expertise. We'd better do what he says."

Aurora left for the kitchen, and came back laden with a pitcher of ice water and cups. Everyone took their aspirin, except for Gideon.

"I can't, sorry," he said, when Jessica offered him the pills. "I'm allergic to aspirin. If I take it my throat starts to close up…it's not pretty."

"I suppose if there's any reason to not follow Pike's instructions, that would be it," said Jessica with a nod, dropping the pills back into the bottle and closing it.

Pike stalked back into the living room, a handful of wooden pencils clutched in his fist. He began doling them out to everyone.

"These are the best we can do for stakes right now," he said apologetically. "But don't get any ideas—I don't want _any_ of you to go out looking for trouble."

"What can we do to help, Pike?" asked Dipper, a determined look on his pale visage.

"You can stay out of my way," said Pike brusquely. "Just sit tight and pray for dawn. And whatever you do, _do not_ invite anyone in. Do you understand?"

"That's bull!" cried Wendy. "We want to help! Do you really plan to take on an entire horde of vampires all by yourself?"

Pike crossed his arms, scowling. "That's exactly what I intend to do, Pippy. You kids are out of your depth in this situation."

"But Pike, Gravity Falls is my responsibility," said Dipper stubbornly. "I'm the current star-child. I'm supposed to be the one to protect it."

Pike smirked. "Okay then, Dipper. Stand up and do twenty jumping jacks. If you can do that, you're more than welcome to tag along with me."

Dipper looked down at this hands, the tips of his ears flaming red. "You know I can't do that right now, Pike," he mumbled.

"Exactly my point," nodded Pike. "You're weak as a newborn kitten. You would just slow me down, and I'd spend the whole night protecting you, instead of going on the offensive and taking out as many vamps as possible."

"I get that you're a vampire expert or whatever," growled Lexie, "but you don't have to be such an asshole, Pike. We all want to help."

"Well, you can't," Pike said bluntly. "The last time this group encountered vampires, Mabel, Pacifica, and Wendy were all so easily brainwashed by a cute young-looking vamp that they followed it back to its lair. If I hadn't been there to help, Dipper, you would have gotten yourself killed trying to save them. And Lexie and Gideon? You two are unknowns. I can't bring you with me, not knowing how you'd stack up against a vamp. I don't want to have your deaths on my head. Frankly, the only one of you I'd trust at my back right now is the dragon, but she needs to stay here and babysit." He turned toward the door, preparing to leave.

"Fine, then," said Jessica bitterly. "We'll leave them here. I'm coming with you. After all, I'm a star-child, too."

Pike looked back over his shoulder at Jessica, derision etched on his face. "No, you aren't, Jess. Not anymore. Not since Scorpius fell. Besides, you assume I'd even _want_ you at my six. I don't. I'm used to dealing with vamps, so that's what I'm gonna go do. It's my problem. You all just need to stay the hell out of it."

He turned back to face the door, turned the knob, and stepped outside. Just before he shut the door, he peered through the small opening.

"Make sure you lock the deadbolt behind me."

He shut the door firmly, and was lost to darkness.

/

Screams echoed throughout the night. The town was overrun—anyone unfortunate enough to still be outside when the vampire horde came swarming out of the forest never stood a chance. Groups of newly turned vampires, who still looked more or less human, used human kindness and hospitality against the citizens of Gravity Falls, by running up to houses and begging to be let inside, because something crazy was going on. Vampires cannot enter a home unless invited. As soon as the kind person invited the terrified "humans" in, they were done for.

Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland were out of their depth. They cruised around town, attempting to run down anyone who clearly didn't look human, such as the hunched, monstrous, sewer dwellers, and the inhumanly beautiful high nobles.

The pair spotted a man running toward them, waving his arms, screaming for help. He was being chased down by a group of four vamps who looked like they were turned in the 90's, and were in denial that time and fashion had proceeded without them. Before the man reached their cruiser, the vampires took him down.

"We gotta go in," said Blubs, pulling the car to a stop.

Durland swallowed hard. He reached out and squeezed Blubs' hand. "It's been an honor serving under you, sir," he said, his voice shaking.

Blubs nodded. "Let's do this."

They bolted from their car, weapons drawn, and began shooting. The man they'd taken down was clearly already dead, his throat torn open.

The bullets did little more than piss the vampires off. They turned and began to run at the sheriff and his deputy. However, they stopped as a motorcycle roared up behind the officers, its bright headlamp temporarily blinding them. Two crossbow bolts whistled past the policemen in quick succession, instantly turning two of the four vampires to dust.

Pike deployed the kickstand, and hopped off his bike.

"You two—get back to the station. Contact as many people as you can, and tell them not to go outside—and for the love of all things holy, do _not_ invite any strangers into their homes."

Blubs opened his mouth to speak, but Pike saw the remaining two grungecore vamps begin to move forward again.

"Just do what I say! Go. Now!" shouted Pike.

As the officers scurried back into their vehicle, Pike grinned manically, and from the sheath on his back, pulled a wooden bokken katana, edged in razor-sharp steel.

"HEY, LOST BOYS!" he shouted. "READY TO GET DUSTED?"

The vampires bared their fangs and ran at Pike, one going low and one going high.

Pike sighed. "You guys aren't even _trying_ to make this difficult," he whined, as he easily sidestepped their attacks, and brought his katana swiftly up in a wide arc. This resulted in the heads of the two vampires, their eyes wide with disbelief, thudding to the ground, before turning to dust, and being gently carried away on the breeze.

"Idiots," muttered Pike, as he wiped the steel edge of the bokken on his shirt, before re-sheathing it. He then got back on his motorcycle, intent on dusting as many vampires as he could, until either he died, or the sun rose.

/

Jessica sighed, and peered out the front window of the Pines' living room. She dropped the curtain back in place, and turned around to face the room-full of agitated teenagers. It's not like she could see anything outside, anyway, with the moon obscured by the black mist.

"Mom, I can't just sit here on my hands and do nothing, while my un—dad is out there, risking his life, fighting vampires," complained Wendy. She was not, in fact, sitting on her hands, but pacing the length of the room.

"Sweetie, trust me—when it comes to vampires, we all need to defer to Pike's judgement," Jessica said, leaning against the wall. "He knows what he's talking about…even if he is an asshole about it."

"What was that about Scorpius falling?" asked Dipper, from his seat on the sofa. "When you said you were a star-child too, and he said 'not since Scorpius fell,' or something. What did that mean?"

Jessica felt her cheeks grow warm. "My birthmark… it's on my back, so not many people have seen it. It is the constellation Scorpius. And the falling remark—well I assume it was about how the rift corrupted me and made me evil."

The room was uncomfortably quiet for a few moments. Jessica's evil rampage had not been forgotten, but the group tried not to talk about it, out of politeness. Everyone sat up slightly, as they heard a shrill noise in the distance. Then the realization of what they were hearing hit them. It was screaming. Lots of screaming.

"Don't you think there's _something_ we can do to help?" asked Gideon, breaking the silence. "I mean, listen to that out there—we're just supposed to sit around and wait for morning while people are out there getting butchered?"

Lexie snuggled closer to him on the loveseat, taking hold of his hand and intertwining their fingers.

"Don't you dare go all stupid and heroic on me, Gid," she said softly. "We haven't trained how to fight vampires. We'd be going into the fight blind. If you got yourself killed, I'd never forgive you."

Gideon's cheeks took on a pink tinge. "Well, I can't have that, now can I, sugar?" He leaned over and kissed Lexie on the cheek. It was her turn to blush.

"Oh. My. God. You guys are _adorable_!" squealed Mabel, causing everyone to jump.

"Can anyone think of _anything_ we could do to help?" asked Aurora. She was sitting in the overstuffed armchair, fiddling absently with an oddly-shaped puzzle box.

Dipper sighed. "The only things I can think of involve us most likely being killed by vampires."

"Hey, wait…" said Mabel slowly. "This might be nothing… but before Pike left for Seattle last time, he came over and stored something in our basement. He didn't tell me what it was, so after he left, I went snooping. It's a trunk thing, with these weird carvings on it. I didn't open it…maybe there's something inside that can help us?"

"A trunk?" asked Lexie, perking up. "That's Pike's failsafe! He said he hoped he never had to use it."

"So like, the nuclear option?" asked Pacifica. "If Pike hoped he never had to use it, we probably shouldn't—"

"C'mon, Mabel," interrupted Lexie, jumping to her feet. "I'll help you carry it up."

Mabel and Lexie were halfway down the basement stairs before Jessica could object.

They slowly made their way back up the steps, and when they got upstairs, they sat the trunk in the middle of the living room. It was covered in decorative carvings, and looked incredibly old.

Wendy knelt in front of it, and hefted the large iron padlock sealing it shut in her palm.

"Looks like we're not getting in so easy," she said bitterly.

"Oh, pshaw," scoffed Mabel, flapping a hand at Wendy. She trotted to her bedroom, and came back with what appeared to be a small leather wallet—and then she opened it up, revealing a row of differently shaped metal picks. "Ta-da!"

"You have… a set of lockpicks?" asked Lexie, incredulously.

"And she knows how to use them," said Dipper proudly. "Courtesy of Grunkle Stan."

Mabel fiddled with the lock for no more than five minutes, before it emitted a loud click.

"I feel like Pike would be upset with us for opening the chest," said Jessica, guiltily, "but at the same time—I'm really curious about what's in there."

Mabel grinned at Wendy, who was still kneeling next to the chest. "You wanna do the honors?"

Wendy nodded. Everyone else crowded around the chest in anticipation.

The hinges creaked as Wendy slowly lifted the lid. Inside there lay a crude club, which looked like it was a natural formation of some type of dark mineral. Wrapped around it loosely was a heavy, woven cord, clasped together with three jewels. The club lay on top of a pile of yellowed papers and parchment, covered in obscure languages. A newer, white piece of paper at the top of the pile was written in English: Hunter. Warrior. Reaper.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Well, that was anti-climactic," muttered Gideon, as he turned and flopped back down onto the loveseat. "There's not even any magic being emitted from it. So much for 'the nuclear option.'"

Jessica frowned, and reached forward to touch the club. There had to be some secret to it. Pike wouldn't call a simple club a failsafe. Unfortunately, Gideon was right—there was no magic coming from it. It was a dull chunk of rock that resembled a club, laying on top of a bunch of old papers.

"So," said Dipper, "anyone have any other ideas of how we can help?"

/

The electric white glare of monitors pierced the darkness of the small room; colorful buttons on various electronics emitted small pulses of light at seemingly random times, which reflected off numerous metal levers and toggle switches. Images constantly flickered on and off the screens, as if some entity could not decide on a channel—or channels—as each screen displayed a different image than its counterparts. Some of the screens presented data and graphs, revealing the results of experiments. Other screens showed shifting weather patterns over the Pacific Northwest. Occasionally a news broadcast, mentioning some strange phenomenon would pop up on one of the screens. At the center of the cluster of screens, one larger screen stood out. The image on it changed every few seconds, but it all came from the same source—it was cctv footage from cameras set all around Gravity Falls.

At a desk in front of the monitors, a decrepit, shrunken husk of a man lay slumped over a pile of papers, his long, white hair and greasy beard spread out around his weathered face like a halo of cobwebs. A tablet next to his head suddenly began beeping rapidly, the shrill tone startling the old man out of his slumber. He shot upright in his seat, and grabbed the tablet, turning on the screen, and beginning to flip quickly through pages of data.

"Oh, ho, ho! This is an unexpected reading!" he remarked cheerfully to himself. "Vampires… and so many of them!" He grinned, idly twirling his long beard around a finger.

He continued to scan the incoming data, sliding his left index finger rapidly across the tablet's screen.

"I _could_ do with some more dust," he murmured. "Or even better, a live—er—undead specimen!"

He gazed up at the cctv screen, and watched, enthralled, as multiple species of vampire rampaged through Gravity Falls.

"Alas," he sighed. "Too dangerous. Too many. Not worth it. Maybe I can 'assist' with cleaning up the dust in the morning." He smiled and nodded to himself.

The old man then reluctantly tore himself away from the cctv feed, and put on a pair of reading glasses. He began sorting through the papers he'd fallen asleep over, perusing images of constellations and star maps.

"Now then," he murmured, adjusting his glasses. "Where was I?"

/

The sullen silence in the Pines' living room was broken by the loud synth and vocals of "Disco Girl" coming from Dipper's jeans. Everyone tittered with quiet laughter, as Dipper pulled the phone from his pocket, and answered the call.

"Soos!" cried Dipper. Guilty glances were shared, as one by one, the room's occupants realized they should have contacted Soos and Melody to warn them about the vampire army—especially with Melody being so far along in her pregnancy.

"Yes, they really are vampires," said Dipper. "I'm so sorry I didn't think to call you and warn you! Are you and Melody okay?" When Dipper sighed with relief, everyone let their collectively held breaths out.

"Yeah, we have no idea. Pike knows all about vampires, but he went off by himself"… "I don't know if they're really afraid of garlic… That might be a movie thing?"... "You—you ate an entire bulb? Dude!"… "Well I don't blame her for not wanting to be near you right now, man." …"Yeah, garlic burps do sound like they'd be nasty." … "I know, I understand…you panicked. Look, just stay inside, don't look out the windows, and whatever you do, don't even think about inviting them inside." … "No, I don't think you're _that_ dumb, Soos." … "I know, it is pretty terrifying." … "They have you surrounded?! Look, help is on the way. Just hang tight." … "Yeah, you couldn't really leave the Mystery Shack if you wanted to right now, I just meant… look, we're sending help your way." … "Okay, man. Stay safe." … "Bye."

Dipper ended the call, but before anyone could ask him about Soos' end of the conversation, he'd hit the speed dial button for Pike's phone. As it rang, Dipper's stomach dropped. From the kitchen, he heard Pike's ringtone for him, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," start to play.

"Well, shit," he said, ending the call. He glanced around the room. All eyes were on him. "So…Soos say vampires have the Mystery Shack surrounded, and I promised we'd send help. That help was supposed to be Pike, but he left his phone here, which does absolutely no one any fucking good whatsoever."

Dipper ran his hands through his hair, and took in a deep breath through his nose, blowing it out through his mouth.

"So…who's going?"

/

Pike knelt in a dimly lit alleyway, attempting to catch his breath, after chasing two high nobles, cornering them, and staking them. He was covered in a thick layer of dust and ash. He coughed, and grimaced.

"Fuck…Lungs full of dead vampire particles," he muttered, before letting out another choked cough. "That can't be healthy."

He stood, and began to pat the dust from his favorite leather jacket, and then laughed at himself. His attempts were futile—even if he did manage to get it clean, it wasn't even midnight—he had a lot more vamps to slay before the night ended. For every vampire he killed, it seemed like three more took its place.

Pike wondered what the Powers were playing at. They _knew_ vampires were his specialty—why send them after him? Granted, this was a fucking _horde_ of vampires. Pike decided they must be trying to whittle him down bit by bit. He grinned fiendishly. Even against overwhelming numbers, he was a force to be reckoned with when it came to defeating vampires.

Pike pondered briefly if the Powers intended to send vampires after the kids and Jess while he was separated from them, but he dismissed the thought as silly. He'd told them to stay put, and not let anyone in. As long as they stayed in the house, they'd be safe.

/

The clearing around the Mystery Shack was empty of vampires. In fact, Gideon, Lexie, and Jessica hadn't encountered a single one on their way from the Pines' house to the Shack. Lexie had even partially transformed, sharpening her sense of sight and smell—but she detected nothing. The night was eerily quiet, although they knew the vampires were still at work in town, because occasionally faint screams or the roar of a motorcycle would echo off the surrounding mountains.

"Do you think the call Dipper got was fake?" whispered Jessica quietly, as the trio approached the Shack.

"I'm gonna go with no," replied Gideon. "That eating-a-whole-bulb-of-garlic thing? Definitely something Soos would do, and I highly doubt any fake caller would think to throw in a detail like that."

"Oh—ugh," mumbled Lexie, covering her nose. "The garlic thing is true… oh gods, it's overpowering."

"I don't smell anything," said Jessica.

"Well, yeah, you wouldn't," said Lexie. "But once you get in the Shack, you will."

The group had finally reached the front porch on the house side of the Mystery Shack. Gideon knocked lightly, and thumping footsteps were heard inside, until the wooden door opened a crack.

"Who—urp—goes there?" demanded Soos, belching midsentence.

Gideon stumbled back as the full force of the entire bulb of garlic overwhelmed his sense of smell. Lexie actually turned away, quietly gagging. Jessica tried to casually cover her nose, while maintaining a friendly smile, although it was beginning to look more like a grimace of disgust.

"It's Gideon, Lexie and Mrs. Corduroy," said Gideon. "Dipper sent us to help—he said you were surrounded by vampires?" Gideon glanced back toward the clearing, an eyebrow raised. "We didn't encounter any at all."

Soos narrowed his eyes. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Lexie stepped out of the shadows, swallowing hard to keep the bile from rising in her throat.

"Look at me, Soos," she said. Her eyes glowed yellow, and her mouth and nose were slightly elongated, so that they formed more of a snout. She grinned, displayed viciously sharp teeth.

"Okay, yeah, I doubt vampires could make themselves look like a partially-transformed werewolf," the portly man-child conceded. He stepped aside and allowed them entry.

"Where's Melody? Is she okay?" asked Jessica.

"She's still a little shaken, but fine," said Soos. "She's in the bedroom resting."

"I'm gonna go check on her," said Lexie quickly, and before anyone could object, she left the room. She needed to be away from the overpowering garlic smell—it made her nauseous.

"You told Dipper that the Mystery Shack was surrounded by vampires," said Gideon. "And yet, we didn't see any, at all. Did you notice when they left?"

"Naw, dawg," said Soos, with a shrug. He gestured for Gideon and Jessica to follow him, and they all took seats in the living room, before he continued. "I looked out the window, and they were there… then I went to sit with Mel for awhile, and when I looked out again they were gone. I think only, like, ten minutes had passed. Then, five minutes later, you showed up. Do you think _you guys_ scared off the vampires?"

Gideon and Jessica looked at each other, brows furrowed quizzically. Gideon shook his head, and turned back to Soos.

"It's highly unlikely that our arrival had anything to do with the vampires leaving," he said. "Especially if there were a lot of them. The three of us would have looked like easy pickings to them."

"Well, I guess it's weird that they suddenly left, but I don't care?" Soos stated, although he sounded unsure. "I'm just glad they're gone. I was really worried about Melody and the baby."

Jessica stood up. "Well, if you don't need us, we should probably—"

"Actually, would you mind staying for just a little while, dudes?" asked Soos. "It's just… you know, in case they come back, it would be nice if you were still here."

Gideon looked at Jessica, who inclined her head slightly. He turned back to Soos.

"Of course we'll stay for awhile, sugar," he said with a smile. "And when we leave, how about I set up a ward around the Shack, for extra protection."

"Oh man, that would be awesome, dawg," sighed Soos.

Outside the wind rustled quietly through the trees, like it was whispering a warning into the night.

/

Aurora moved stealthily through the night, headed in the direction the roar of Pike's motorcycle echoed from.

"I mean, of course I'm gonna be protective of her—we just got back together," complained Dipper into Aurora's ear. "And you should have seen the way she acted last time she was around a vampire—putty in his hands."

Aurora shifted her friend's weight. "You are not doing a very good job of being quiet, Dipper," she hissed softly. "You promised you'd be quiet."

Dipper sighed. "Sorry, 'Rora. Hey, would you mind not running so…bouncy? I feel like a ragdoll."

Aurora stopped in her tracks, and turned her head slightly, so Dipper could hear her whisper more clearly.

"Mason Pines," she said angrily, "if you did not want to be bounced around, maybe you should not have _insisted_ on coming with me and _riding piggyback_ because you are too weak to run around on your own. You will just have to deal with a bumpy ride."

Dipper took a breath to speak, but Aurora wasn't finished.

"And will you _please_ stop talking? I am trying to listen for vampires, and you are making that very difficult."

"Sorry," mumbled Dipper, sounding defeated. "I'll be quiet."

Satisfied, Aurora nodded, and once again began running toward the center of town.

/

Pike rested, bent over with his hands on his knees, in the middle of an empty parking lot. He was surrounded by thick piles of greasy dust. His motorcycle was lying on its side nearby, after he had used it to run down a large group of sewer dwellers. Any part of his visible skin that wasn't coated in dust, was covered in blood—his blood. He wasn't worried about the bites he'd received, however. He'd taken his aspirin.

At the sound of light footsteps running toward him, Pike's head shot up. He saw who was running toward him, and he was _furious_.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING OUT HERE?!" he screamed, without thinking. He clamped his lips shut, and balled his hands into white-knuckled fists. _Great. Now every vamp within a five-hundred-meter radius will be headed this way. Good job, fuckwit_.

Aurora trotted up to Pike, and crouched so Dipper could more easily climb off her back.

"We thought you might need help," said Dipper, as he glanced around at the mounds of dust covering the parking lot, "but it looks like you've got it covered."

"I am very impressed," said Aurora. "You have dispatched them all with only minor injuries."

"Not all," growled Pike, his voice dangerously low. "This is nowhere _near_ all of the vampires. What part of ' _army of vampires_ ' did you not fucking understand?"

As if on cue, a group of high nobles appeared at the far end of the parking lot, and began to walk slowly, menacingly forward. High nobles were all about the drama.

"Shit, shit, SHIT," spat Pike. "This is why I wanted you to stay home. Now I have to try and kill vamps _and_ protect your asses."

"I can help," said Aurora, a malevolent grin spreading across her face. It had been awhile since she'd taken her dragon form, and she was ready to spread her wings and toast some baddies.

"If it was just you, little dragon, I'd say knock yourself out," said Pike, regretfully. "You can't be turned. But since you brought along Weaklingpants McGee over here, you're gonna have to make sure he doesn't get bitten or killed."

"But—" started Dipper.

"No," said Pike, forcefully. "You, piggyback the dragon-girl. Take my crossbow. Don't die."

He waited until Dipper had climbed onto Aurora's back, and shoved the weapon at the boy.

"Try and stay behind me," Pike said, as the high nobles approached them, leering. "Time to get back to work."

/

The curtains were all drawn tightly, and every light in the house was on. Mabel, Pacifica, and Wendy sat around the kitchen table, mugs of hot cocoa steaming in front of them. Wendy scowled down into her drink, still miffed that Dipper had gone looking for her dad with Aurora, and not let her come along.

"I mean, I know he wants to protect me or whatever, now that we're back together… but seriously, he's the one who needs protecting!" complained the redhead.

"Wendy, he had a point," said Pacifica, shrugging her shoulders. "Last time there were vampires around, the three of us made complete asses of ourselves, and would have ended up dead or turned if Dipper and Pike hadn't shown up to save us."

Wendy's scowl deepened. "Well now that we know what to look for, you'd think we'd be _less_ susceptible to their mind-games, not more."

"But we can't know that, Wen," said Mabel, patting her friend's hand. "Dipper just wants you to be safe."

"Yeah, well I want _him_ to be safe, not—" Wendy was cut off by a knock at the front door.

The three girls immediately tensed up, staring at each other with eyes wide.

"Excuse me, is this the Pines' residence?" came a raspy male voice through the door.

Wendy looked at the pile of pencils in the center of the table, and shook her head. She stood up, and picked up her chair.

"Sorry if you really liked these chairs, Mabel," she whispered, before lifting it over her head, and slamming the wooden chair down onto the linoleum of the kitchen floor. The legs of the chair broke off, their ragged edges sharp with splinters. Wendy picked them up, handing one each to Mabel and Pacifica, and keeping two for herself.

Wendy walked toward the front door, and motioned for Pacifica and Mabel to stay behind her.

"Hello? Is everyone okay in there?" called the voice.

"Why do _you_ care if we're okay, _vampire_?" Wendy shouted to the unwelcome visitor on the Pines' front porch.

"Oh! I'm not a vampire!" called the man, chuckling softly. "I promise not to hurt you. It is rather tedious to talk to you through a closed door, however. Would you mind letting me in?"

Wendy turned to glance at her friends. They shook their heads no, vehemently.

"That's just what a vampire would say!" called Wendy. "You're not getting in!"

A soft pop behind them made the three girls turn, look, and scream in unison. Standing behind them was an elderly gentleman, dressed in a long, gray wool overcoat, a fedora perched jauntily on top of his head. He leaned on an intricately carved ebony cane, and smiled warmly at the terrified trio before him.

"I was only asking out of politeness, not because I had to," rasped the man. "As I have come in uninvited, do you now believe that I am not a vampire?"

Mabel and Pacifica nodded mutely. Wendy was the first to speak.

"Okay, so you're not a vampire," she said low, her voice tremulous. "You're also clearly not human. Who, or _what_ are you?"

"I," said the man, dramatically sweeping off his fedora, and holding it in front of his heart, "am one of the Powers That Be."

Wendy didn't stop to think—she launched herself forward, ready to stab the man in the heart with her chair leg. Even if it didn't kill him, it'd probably hurt like a bitch.

"Wendy, no!" cried Mabel, latching onto the hem of Wendy's shirt and yanking her back just in time to prevent the redhead from impaling the elderly gentleman.

"Let me go, Mabel!" hissed Wendy, through gritted teeth. "This is one of the bastards trying to kill my dad!"

"Ah, Gwendolyn Corduroy," said the smiling Power, completely unaffected by Wendy's intent to stake him. "You are _very_ like your father, aren't you? I've always liked Pike. It's a pity it has had to come to this."

Wendy screamed in frustration, and threw the chair leg at the man's face. It simply disappeared before impact.

"If you like him, why do you want to kill him?" asked Pacifica.

"Yeah," said Mabel, breathlessly, as she continued to keep a struggling Wendy from attacking the Power. "I don't know where you're from, but around here we tend to not kill people we like."

"Oh, just let her go," the man said to Mabel, with a wink. "She can't possibly hurt me, no matter how badly she wants to."

Mabel let go of Wendy's shirt, and the redhead went careening into the Power, falling _through_ him onto the hardwood floor. She slowly pulled herself to her feet, and wiped a trickle of blood from her chin—she had bitten her lower lip hard when she went down. She glared at the Power as she trudged back over to Mabel and Pacifica. He favored her with a bland smile.

"If you're so powerful, what's with the vendetta against my dad?" asked Wendy, her arms crossed. Her lip was bleeding again, but she ignored it. "What could he have possibly done to warrant sending a horde of vampires after him?"

"Oh, I didn't send the vampires," said the Power, dismissing the suggestion with a wave of his hand. "The Powers aren't the bad guys you think we are. I, personally, find it quite regrettable that we are forced to take such drastic action against Pike. If he had only been a bit more amenable to our wishes, all this nonsense could have been avoided."

"Amenable to your wishes?" scoffed Wendy. "What are you on about?"

"We are called The Powers That Be for a reason, my dear," said the man, his tone grandfatherly. "We bring order to the chaos of thousands of intertwined dimensions. Your father is an enigma. He should not be as powerful as he is. Everything he does affects the careful balance we try to maintain amongst dimensions. He refuses to work for us—and if he is not working for us, he is working against us, whether or not that is his intention."

"Sorry, but what kind of amazing power are you talking about Pike having?" asked Mabel. "Because yeah, we've seen his do some pretty wicked magic, but if you're like…in charge of dimensions and stuff, he should be small fish for you." She paused, and then giggled. "Ha. Pike. Small fish."

The Power rolled his eyes. "Honestly, no matter what I say about him, I know you will refuse to believe me. And if you try to verify anything I say with Pike, he will of course tell you I am lying to make him look bad." He then turned, and looked Mabel directly in the eyes. "If only there was a way to see what Pike has done, and is capable of doing, for yourselves."

Mabel yelped, rocked back on her heels, and nearly fell to the ground before Pacifica caught her and eased her down. Wendy whirled around to check on her friend. Mabel's eyes were glazed and unfocused.

"What did you do to her?" cried Wendy, turning back to the old man. But he was gone.

"Mabel? Sweetie, are you still with us?" Pacifica lightly patted Mabel's cheeks.

Mabel blinked slowly, and as she focused on Pacifica's face and came out of her stupor.

"Are you okay?" asked Wendy, kneeling next to her friend.

"I—yeah, I'm okay," said Mabel. "I had a vision. Well, visions. Two of them."

"What did you see?" asked Pacifica, grasping her girlfriend's hand tightly.

"Well, first, a memory. The inside of Grunkle Stan's Mindscape… and then… a few of us sitting in a circle, with Pike at the center. His eyes are closed. Those of us in the circle are…meditating? Our eyes are glowing…"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Wendy angrily. "I think that old dude was just trying to fuck with our heads."

"No…" said Mabel, softly, avoiding eye contact with Wendy. "I think he gave me that vision…to show me how we could get the truth out of Pike—so we can find out the real reason the Powers want him dead."

/

Lillith lounged in the blood-stained backseat of a convertible, feeling quite comfortable in her perky, blonde cheerleader body. She surveyed the carnage at the overlook with a pleased smile, before settling back and gazing at the starlit sky, listening to the music of the occasional screams that still pierced the air.

"Hello, Darquesse," she murmured softly.

The shadows next to Lillith coalesced into the writhing form of the First Evil.

"Hello, gorgeous," purred Darquesse, sidling up next to the Hell Queen, trailing her oily, shifting fingertips up Lillith's arm. "Your little campaign doesn't seem all that promising—as far as Pike goes, that is." She took a deep breath, and moaned. "The chaos and darkness here is just delicious."

Lillith smiled, and booped Darquesse on the nose. "Silly goose, these vampires are just the warm up act—to wear Pike down a bit. _You_ know what I have planned next. Our little surprise."

"About that," said Darquesse, almost hesitantly. "You _do_ know the Powers are going to be quite put out with you, don't you?"

Lillith laughed. "As if I give a fuck what those prudish windbags think of me. They want Pike dead? I'm making him dead—my way. It's time, my dear. Summon the Primordial."

Darquesse licked her lips. "With pleasure."

/

The earth began to shake, the trees of the forest trembling and groaning. Deep within the woods, a fissure opened, and a dark gray, clawed hand reached out. The Primordial vampire slowly dragged itself from the glowing earth. Unlike the other vampires attacking the town, the Primordial looked only vaguely humanoid. It was a demonic abomination—the first vampire to ever walk the earth. It had been imprisoned in a tomb deep underground for millennia, and, now free, only one word resonated within its instinct-driven mind: FEED.

The Primordial sniffed the cool night air, its flat, bat-like nose twitching. The smell of blood on the wind was heady and rich, like the finest wine. Its ears, more sensitive than a bat's, swiveled independently of each other, as the Primordial desperately sought out the nearest human heartbeat.

Yes—there they were, like the soft cadence of drums—three human heartbeats, not very far away. The Primordial got on all fours, and silently darted through the forest, intent on its newly discovered prey. It was close now, and the slow, steady rhythm of their hearts proved that they were quite unaware of its presence.

They were in sight now. They were still unaware of the Primordial closing in at full speed. It bared its fangs, and went for the closest figure—a young man with hair like fallen snow.

The Primordial's fangs sank down into the soft flesh, and hot blood welled up to meet its lips, like the nectar of the gods. It drank deeply, as the sound of screams split the night air.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 24: The Harsh Light Of Day.

/

 **SHOUTOUTS!  
TGGDSD, Ultimate Spider Girl, fereality, LimboticMistisos, Geekngroom, Guest, MiraculuosAnimator, scroghmc, anubis112134, **and **pittbuck.** Thank you guys so much for taking the time to leave such awesome reviews. You guys are amazing!

Special Shoutout to **Geekngroom**. She is the reason that all of you actually get to read this. Writers block has hit me rather hard(in the form of an impenetrable wall). She has been gracious enough to take my pages and pages of illegible notes and turn it into something amazing. Thank you so much for all your hard work babe.

If you like what you read go check out **Geekngroom's Gravity Falls: Worlds Apart** and **TGGDSD's Spark of Hope.** Two really awesome stories.

/

Peace


	24. Harsh Light Of Day

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **The Harsh Light Of Day**

The darkness echoed with screams, and Lillith couldn't contain her glee. Darquesse lounged next to her in the bloodied convertible, the corners of her ever-shifting mouth lifting in a satisfied smile. A soft popping noise and nearly imperceptible change in air pressure, however, caused her smile to falter.

"Oh come _on_ , guys!" she whined at the Powers That Be. They encircled the vehicle, their faces inscrutable behind their dark hoods. "Can't you let us enjoy the chaos and destruction we've wrought for just a _teensy_ bit before lecturing us on 'the delicate balance of the natural order'?"

A small blonde child hoisted herself onto the front of the car. She glowered down at Lillith and Darquesse, her tiny fists balled on her hips.

"You stupid whore!" screeched Nimeuh, the First Good. She stamped her foot on the hood of the convertible for emphasis. "The Primordial? Really? _Really?!_ It's bad enough that I have to deal with the multiple races of vampires he spawned millennia ago—but to bring the beast himself back? He should never have been let out of his tomb—he will wreak havoc on the modern world!"

" _Language_ , sister!" sneered Darquesse. "You're supposed to be the good one, remember?"

"Aw, is the wittle First Good angry wif us?" Lillith asked Darquesse, a look of mock pity playing across her features.

Nimeuh shrieked with rage, launched herself over the windshield of the open convertible, and latched onto Lillith, clawing at the demoness' face and pulling her hair.

"Hey, easy on the goods!" cried Lillith, holding her hands up to shield herself from Nimeuh's vicious scratches. "I need this face for later!"

"ENOUGH!" boomed a deep, male voice. Nimeuh was jerked away from Lillith by an invisivble force, and deposited roughly on her bottom, next to the car.

"Nimeuh, Darquesse, do we have to remind you again how inconsequential you two are in the grand scheme of things?" continued the voice. "Other than keeping the forces of good and evil balanced and in check, you two are _nothing_."

"But—" whimpered Nimeuh.

"But nothing," said another voice, female this time. "The moral ambiguity of the modern world has rendered your positions obsolete. We allow you to stay on as our advisors purely for the sake of tradition. However, we are growing weary of your antics."

"Obsolete?" said Darquesse softly. She raised a single eyebrow in amusement. "Nimeuh, perhaps. But you know as well as I that in the last few centuries, humans have begun evolving out of having a conscience, or empathy. You may claim otherwise, but I am more powerful than ever." She crossed her arms, and smiled like a satisfied cat.

One of the Powers scoffed and snapped their fingers, and suddenly both Nimeuh and Darquesse disappeared, leaving Lillith by herself in the backseat of the bloodstained convertible, surrounded by the Powers That Be.

"We gave you free reign to take Pike down however you saw fit," said the deep-voiced male. "That doesn't mean we approve of your methods. Releasing the Primordial was a foolish decision, Lillith."

Lillith chuckled, and flapped a hand at the cloaked figures. "Yeah, well, what are ya gonna do? He's out, and he's long overdue for dinner."

"Yes, we are aware," said a younger male voice, drily. "We are allowing you to use him to take down Pike—but once that's taken care of, we are tasking you with capturing the Primordial and forcing him back into his tomb. If you should decide to delay or refuse this task entirely, what Pike did to you in Seattle will seem like a tickle in comparison to the torture _we_ have planned for you."

Lillith heaved a sigh. "You guys are such buzzkills." She exited the car, and straightened her cheerleading uniform. "I guess I better go watch my new pet in action now, then. I need to point him in Pike's direction anyway."

As Lillith made her way back into the forest, the Powers dissolved into the inky darkness.

A scream of pain, and shrieks of terror emanated from deep in the woods.

"Oh yay, sounds like my little fella has already found himself some noms!"

Lillith smiled, and skipped toward the sounds of agony.

/

The monster attacked from behind. Gideon didn't even know what hit him. He went down with a strangled cry, as sharp fangs tore at the flesh of his neck and shoulder, shredding it like paper. His blood was flowing freely, and the Primordial vampire was prepared to drain him of every last drop.

It took Lexie and Jessica a moment to comprehend what was happening. Once she realized that Gideon was being fed on, Lexie let loose a feral scream, and made a full transformation, her clothes dropping to the ground around her in tattered ribbons.

"Oh, God, Lexie, be careful!" screamed Jessica, as wolf-Lexie threw herself at the feeding vampire.

Lexie succeeded in knocking the Primordial away from Gideon, but unfortunately, the creature's jaws were clamped so tightly around the divot between Gideon's neck and shoulder, that as it fell away from him, it tore out a large chunk of flesh. It hissed and spat the hunk of mangled flesh at Lexie's feet.

"Lupus impotens!" roared the monster, its voice gravelly with millennia of disuse. "In hora mortis appropinquate!"

It leapt forward and batted Lexie casually aside like she weighed nothing, sending her flying into the dense undergrowth of the forest. Then it fell upon Gideon again, who was weakly trying in vain to push the vampire away, unable to even scream anymore.

"Get away from him!" shouted Jessica. She summoned a small ball of purple fire between her hands, and lobbed it at the monster. The vampire arched its back and hissed upon the fireball's impact. It turned toward Jessica, fury in its dead, black eyes, as Gideon's blood slowly dripped down its chin.

The Primordial launched itself at Jessica, easily passing through the defensive ward she quickly put in place around herself. It grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her head sideways, licking its lips before beginning to slowly sink its fangs into her tender flesh. However, its teeth had barely scraped her skin, when the Primordial recoiled, a look of disgust mixed with disbelief etched across its inhuman features.

Jessica swallowed and stood her ground, looking the creature in the eye. It growled and spat a glob of saliva, tinged red with Gideon's blood, in her face. Then it turned, and catapulted itself back into the darkness of the forest.

Lexie, still in wolf form, made to follow it, but Jessica brought her to her senses.

"Lexie, no!" she cried. "We have to get help for Gideon! He's going to bleed out!"

Immediately Lexie stopped. She began to shift again, until she was still quite wolfish and strong, but capable of walking or running bipedally. She scooped Gideon, who was barely conscious, with skin as pale as his hair, into her arms, and began running back in the direction of the Pines' house. Jessica followed her at a distance.

"Try to keep up!" Lexie called over her shoulder, her voice sounding gruff and mangled, due to her face and mouth being a strange human/wolf hybrid.

"Please be okay, Gid, please, please," Lexie whispered breathlessly as she ran. Gideon blinked slowly up at her, and attempted to reach up and pat her face. Before he could, however, his eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp.

Lexie's mournful howl tore through the night air, so loud and piercing that it gave even the rampaging vampires pause, as they wondered what could possibly make a wolf sound so heartbroken.

/

Dipper and Aurora barely had to lift a finger against the attacking high nobles. Pike was a blur of blood and dust. The steel edge of his bokken glinted in the dim lights of the parking lot, as it cleanly sliced through the vampires' necks, their flesh and bone seeming to provide no resistance whatsoever.

Seeing his kin being completely annihilated, the last surviving vampire attempted to sneak off into the darkness. Pike, however, was ruthless.

"Don't even think about it, you glorified mosquito!" he yelled, running at the fleeing monster. He cursed Dipper's stupidity, because in order for the boy to protect himself and Aurora, Pike had given him his crossbow—his only ranged weapon.

Despite the blood loss from his many wounds, Pike quickly caught up to the cowardly vampire. He grabbed him by the frilly collar of his Victorian-style dress shirt, and yanked him backward, impaling him on the bokken, the wood and steel piercing his heart. The vampire's screams echoed through the night long after he was nothing more than a pile of dust at Pike's feet.

Pike automatically moved to clean the steel edge of the sword on his shirt, and then chuckled darkly at the futility. Wiping the bokken on his shirt would probably only serve to make it dirtier. His tattered shirt was covered in dark red blood, accented with smutches of vampire dust. Instead of cleaning it, Pike resheathed the sword, and turned to limp slowly back toward Dipper and Aurora, who were gaping at him in awe.

"Well, now I feel kind of silly," Dipper whispered in Aurora's ear. "Thinking _we'd_ be able to help _him_."

"He clearly has the situation under control," agreed Aurora. "He does appear quite fatigued now, but during the fight he looked like he could go on like that for hours."

"Okay, kiddies," said Pike as he approached them. "Time to scoot your asses on home, before the next group of vamps shows up."

"Do you want your crossbow back?" asked Dipper, hefting the weapon toward his mentor.

Pike looked at the weapon wistfully, and sighed. "No, you keep it, in case you run into trouble on the way home. Now go—I don't want to have to protect your asses from another wave of vampires."

"It'll be morning soon, at least," said Dipper encouragingly.

"Yes," said Aurora, with a nod. "And it is always darkest before the dawn."

Pike opened his mouth to reply, but his smart-ass comment was cut off by a long, mournful howl, echoing off the mountains.

"Dipper," said Aurora, her voice shaking. "I think that was Lexie."

"Shit," muttered Dipper, his stomach dropping.

"God _fucking_ dammit!" cried Pike. "Do none of you guys obey orders? You know what—no—don't answer. Just get the fuck out of here. Go home. I'll be back to clean up your mess as soon as the sun's up."

Aurora turned on her heel and began trotting back in the direction of home, Dipper still clinging to her back, his face pinched with worry. If anything happened to his friends, he'd never forgive himself.

/

Mabel sat on the sofa, wringing her hands.

"I don't know what 'The Powers' really are, but I don't like that they can mess around in my mind," she said, rubbing her forehead. "It reminds me too much of Bill."

"Yuck, don't even say that name," said Paz, with a shudder, plopping down on the sofa next to her girlfriend. "I definitely don't think we should do—whatever it is he wants you to do, to go into Pike's mind. It could be some sort of trap."

"But what if we find something in my dad's memories that prove he really is a good person?" asked Wendy, as she paced the length of the living room. "Maybe something that will convince the Powers that he shouldn't be killed? I don't want to lose a chance to do that."

"Uh, Wendy, were you not listening to that guy?" said Pacifica, the remnants of her old bitchy personality creeping into her voice. "They don't care whether he's good or bad—they want him to work for them. And if he won't work for them, they want him dead."

Wendy cast Pacifica a dirty look, then turned to face Mabel.

"Do you think we can do it, Mabel?" she asked, a look of desperation etched on her face.

"Well..." said Mabel, slowly, unwilling to make eye contact with her girlfriend. "I think so. But we'll need help. And some kind-of-specific supplies."

Wendy smiled, her eyes narrowed with determination. "Just give me a list."

/

The sky was slowly fading from inky black to the cool grey of pre-dawn as Aurora and Dipper returned to the Pines' house. Dipper used his key to unlock the deadbolt, and as he pushed the door open, they were greeted by an interesting tableau. Mabel was seated in the lotus position on the floor, her eyes closed in apparent meditation. A scowling Pacifica sat on the loveseat, arms folded against her chest, glaring at Mabel.

Just as Dipper opened his mouth to ask where his girlfriend was, there was a clatter of feet on the basement stairs, and Wendy burst through the door in a flurry of green flannel and red hair.

"Dipper, you're back!" she cried, and launched herself at him. She caught him up in a bearhug so tight, his back cracked.

"Hi Wen—dy," he wheezed. "Can't—breathe."

"Oh, sorry!" said Wendy, letting go. "I was worried about you. How's—"

Before she could finish her thought, she was interrupted by a furious pounding at the front door.

"It's Jess, Lex, and Gid," cried Jessica from the other side of the door. "Let us in! Gideon's hurt, badly!"

Aurora reached for the lock, and then hesitated, looking back at the room.

"Do you think it could be a trick?" she whispered.

"Open this door right _fucking_ now!" screamed Lexie, her voice raw and guttural. Aurora knew there was no way a vampire could fake the voice of a werewolf in mid-transition. She turned the deadbolt and was knocked aside as Lexie barged in, in bipedal wolf form, with Gideon cradled against her chest.

"Quick, someone grab a towel," said Jessica urgently, rushing in behind Lexie and locking the door. "We have to slow the bleeding—he's already lost so much blood that he's passed out!"

Lexie laid Gideon gently down on the sofa, and grabbed the towel proffered by Aurora. She knelt down next to him, and pressed the towel as hard as she could against the gaping wound left in his neck and shoulder. He flinched and grunted, though he remained unconscious. His skin was so pale as to almost appear translucent.

"Oh gods, what do we do? Is there anything we _can_ do for him?" asked Dipper. "He needs to go to the hospital, but there might still be vamps out there!"

Lexie was huddled over Gideon, nearly hyperventilating as she attempted to stem the flow of blood.

"Lexie, someone else can do that, if you want to transform back to human again," said Mabel softly, putting a hand on Lexie's fur-covered shoulder. "You can borrow some of my clothes."

A low growl emanating from Lexie's throat caused Mabel to quickly remove her hand and step away.

"Or not," the brunette mumbled.

Mabel jumped and let out a quick shriek as the front door swung open, banging against the wall. Pike stumbled in, bloody and disheveled. The sky, framed in the doorway behind him, was the hazy purple-pink of dawn. Pike turned and closed the door softly.

"Why wasn't the deadbolt locked?" he asked, turning back around, and surveying the scene before him. "Shit, what happened to Snow White?"

Lexie didn't look up from Gideon, but the fur on her shoulders and the back of her neck stood on end, and a soft, low, rumbling growl escaped through her clenched teeth.

"Pike, that's not funny!" said Jessica. "Gideon's hurt, badly! Some kind of monster bit him—but it wasn't a normal vampire. We need to get him to the hospital now that it's getting light out."

"We can take my car," volunteered Pacifica. "The backseat's big enough that he can lay down."

"Good idea," said Aurora, heading for the door. "Let's go."

"Wait, wait," said Pike, holding up his hands. "Everybody calm your tits. Let me take a look at him first. You mind scooching over a bit there, White Fang?"

"Dad, please quit antagonizing the panicky werewolf," said Wendy, as Lexie snarled at Pike, yellow eyes narrowed in anger.

Ignoring both Lexie and Wendy, Pike knelt down next to the sofa, and removed the blood-soaked dishtowel that was covering Gideon's wound.

Pike whistled. "Holy ouch, Batman. Looks like whatever baddie did this took a chunk of muscle with him. The bleeding has mostly stopped, though. You said it wasn't a normal vampire that bit him, Jess. Can you describe it?"

"It was humanoid," recalled Jessica. "But only barely. Bipedal. But its face looked more bat-like than human. It had a flat nose, and these big ears that kind of kept swiveling around."

"It yelled at us in Latin," Lexie added gruffly. "Tossed me around like a ragdoll."

Pike gripped the edge of the sofa hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. "If it was that strong, how did you get away?" he asked, attempting to sound casual.

"Well," said Jessica quietly, "I threw a fireball at it to try and get it off Gideon. It didn't do much more to it than piss it off—but it worked in that the creature turned and came after me. It was going to bite me, but as soon as its teeth touched my skin in freaked out and backed off."

Pike stood, and walked a few steps away from Gideon, hands in his pockets, and eyes trained on the floor.

"Uh, Pike, what's up?" asked Dipper. "Can we take him to the hospital now?"

Pike turned around and raised his head slowly, turning it toward Jess.

"You made everybody take their aspirin, right?" he asked. His voice was dangerously quiet.

Jessica swallowed hard. "Uh, about that… Apparently Gideon is allergic to aspirin. So he didn't take any."

Pike closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"No, Dipper," said Pike. "We can't take him to the hospital. Not now—not ever. If he had taken my aspirin/holy water concoction, then maybe. But he didn't."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jessica sharply.

"We have to kill him," said Pike. He calmly unsheathed his bokken.

The room erupted with sound, as Lexie let loose a feral howl and leapt toward Pike, only to be knocked aside by a screaming dragon the size of a baby elephant. Jessica threw a ward around Gideon, still unconscious on the sofa. Taking advantage of the chaos, Mabel darted in and knocked the bokken out of Pike's grip. It slid across the floor, and Dipper leapt for it, grabbing it just before Pike could get to it.

"ENOUGH!" cried Jessica, who had magically magnified her voice.

"Pike—" Dipper faltered. "What the hell?!" He couldn't comprehend the idea that Pike would want to kill Gideon.

"Dipper, give me the bokken," said Pike, his voice emotionless. "He could turn at any moment, and hurt someone else. It has to be done."

"Wait, turn?" said Wendy. "What are you talking about? Was that monster thing they described a vampire? And even if it was, don't you have to drink their blood in order to turn?"

"That's what has to happen for one of the more common vampire subspecies to turn someone," said Pike. "But what they described wasn't a common vampire." He chuckled darkly. "The Powers are really pulling out all the stops this time."

"So if it wasn't a common vampire, what was it?" said Lexie, from the corner of the room. She had transformed back to human, but Aurora was still in her dragon form, blocking Lexie's naked body from view.

Pike sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "What you two described sounds like—well, I've never seen it before, but I've heard the legends… The Primordial. The first vampire. A bastardization of demon and human that is the source of every single vampire on earth today."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," said Lexie, laughing wetly. "Gideon and I finally get together, and he goes and gets mauled by Granddaddy Vampire. Fucking awesome." Her wet laughs quickly turned into sobs.

"Mabel, how about you find Lexie something to wear," prompted Jessica. "Once she's dressed, we can talk about this."

Mabel trotted to her room and returned with a t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants. She tossed them over dragon-Aurora's head, and within moments, a clothed, wet-eyed Lexie emerged. Aurora made a quick transformation back to human, and put an arm around Lexie's shoulders.

"I'm telling you, we need to kill him now and get it over with," said Pike, the ire rising in his voice. "There's nothing we can do for him. On top of that, he's an unknown—I've never encountered a vamp that was turned by the Primordial himself."

"No," said Dipper flatly. He moved to stand in front of the sofa. Wendy, Lexie, and Aurora joined him.

"Dipper, you're being a gods damned moron," said Pike. He advanced on the blockade in front of the sofa, and pulled a sharp, wooden stake out from a hidden pocket inside his jacket.

At the sight of the stake, Lexie began to tremble. Aurora grabbed Lexie's hand, and attempted to soothe her.

"Dad, there has to be another way," said Wendy. "You're _not_ killing Gideon. You're just not. We won't let you."

"Move aside now, Pippy," said Pike. "This is for everyone's safety. Gideon isn't going to be Gideon for much longer. And when he turns, he's going to try and kill you all. Werewolves like Lexie are able to overcome their bestial nature with a lot of discipline—but vampires don't work like that. There is no such thing as a 'safe' vampire. He has to die, and he has to die now. You should say your goodbyes."

Jessica walked up behind Pike, her hands glowing purple.

"I'm sorry, Pike, but I think you're being rash," she said. "Why don't you take some time to cool down?"

"Wha—" began Pike. Jessica's purple magic washed over him, and he went slack-jawed, his eyes blank.

"Pike, please go to the basement for a bit, to calm down," commanded Jessica.

"Okay," said Pike, his voice faint. He shuffled to the basement door, and thudded slowly down the steps. Jessica closed the door behind him, and threw a ward up to lock him in.

Pike was disoriented. He felt a little drunk, and everything appeared slightly out of focus. He stumbled around the cluttered basement, bumping into boxes. A few minutes passed before he got his bearings. That's when he noticed that the chest containing his failsafe weapon wasn't where he'd left it.

A sharp pain tore through Pike's head, and he fell to his knees. He squeezed his eyes shut, and saw it. The door. It was still there. Always there. The cracks were growing, and it was shaking on its hinges from the force of whoever—or whatever—what pounding against it on the other side.

Pike forced his eyes open and pulled himself back to his feet, but he could still hear the pounding, like the cadence of war drums. He covered his ears, but that didn't help. The pounding was coming from inside of him.

Another sharp pain hit him, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He'd lost so much blood. He was so tired. But he couldn't stop fighting it.

"Not here," he muttered. "Not now. There is no way I'm dying locked up in a stupid basement."

But the knocking continued.

/

"Um, mom, did you just zombify my dad?" asked Wendy warily.

"He's not a _zombie_ ," said Jessica. "I just made him more amenable to my wishes. I'm actually surprised it worked… he must be a lot more drained than he appeared. He's uh, he's probably going to be pissed that I did that."

Lexie flapped her hand. "Whatever. At least he's not trying actively to kill Gid. Can we please brainstorm and try to figure out a way to save him now? He's lost a lot of blood."

Gideon stirred on the sofa, and groaned. Everything about him was paper-white—except for the gaping red wound on his neck and shoulder.

"Gid?" breathed Lexie. She knelt down next to Gideon and clasped his hand.

"Lexie?" asked Gideon, his eyes opening to narrow slits. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Gid, but—" Lexie's voice choked up and she couldn't continue.

"Hey pal, how're you feeling?" asked Dipper.

"Um, bad," said Gideon weakly, with a small smile. "Like I could sleep forever. Also I'm kind of numb?"

"You aren't suddenly in the mood to drink human blood, are you?" asked Pacifica. She was standing on the other side of the room, her arms folded across her chest.

" _Pacifica_!" hissed Mabel.

"What?" said Pacifica, her tone defensive. "Pike said Gideon could turn at any moment. What if he's already turned?"

Gideon attempted to lean up on his elbow to better see Pacifica, but he winced and collapsed back against the sofa, groaning. He turned his head to Lexie instead.

"What on God's green earth is she talkin' about, Sugar?" he mumbled.

Lexie swallowed hard. "You-you were bit, Gideon. After we left the Mystery Shack. It came out of nowhere. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." She closed her eyes, but tears still made their way down her cheeks.

"Lexie, none of this was your fault," said Aurora, placing a hand on the girl's trembling shoulder.

"Doesn't Pike have some magic vampire cure?" asked Gideon hopefully. "I mean, vampires are his specialty, right?"

"Well, he had a preventative," said Wendy. "But you didn't take it, because you're allergic to aspirin."

"I'm guessing that's what kept the Primordial from biting me," added Jessica. "Its teeth barely scraped my skin, and that's when it acted disgusted and ran away."

"Well…shit," muttered Gideon. Then his face brightened slightly. "Although if I'm a vampire, I guess it doesn't matter if you accidently bite me anymore, Lexie."

"I wish it were that easy," whispered Lexie. "But once you turn, you won't be _you_ anymore—you won't be safe to be around."

"Oh," said Gideon faintly.

"Wait a minute," said Dipper. "I just got an idea of how we might possibly be able to save Gideon… I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but we really don't have any other options."

Lexie looked up hopefully. "What? I'll do anything to save him!"

"That's good," said Dipper. "Because I think you should bite him."

Everyone stared at Dipper as if he had grown two heads.

"Dipper, how will her biting him do anything to save him?" asked Wendy.

"Yeah, that sounds like a really bad plan," Pacifica chimed in.

"Well, the way I see it, Gideon can't be both a vampire _and_ a werewolf," said Dipper. "Maybe they'll cancel each other out! Or maybe he'll go werewolf instead—we can at least work with that without having to kill him."

"I don't know," said Jessica skeptically. "Sounds an awful lot like you'd just be creating a super monster. One we'd have no idea how to deal with…"

"I agree with Dipper," said Mabel. "If it goes wrong, we'll have to kill him. But if we do nothing and he vamps out, we'll have to kill him anyway. We have nothing to lose."

"But what if I do turn into some kind of horrible abomination and I hurt someone before you're able to put me down?" rasped Gideon. "I don't want to hurt anyone!"

Lexie had been silent throughout this exchange, her face inscrutable. Finally, she spoke.

"I'll do it," she said softly, her fists clenched. "But everyone needs to go somewhere else. Lock yourselves upstairs. If it goes south, I'm powerful enough that I can probably take him down. I don't want any more of my friends hurt."

"But—" Dipper began to protest.

"No. Go upstairs _now_ ," said Lexie, her eyes flashing yellow.

"Are you—" began Jessica.

"NOW!" shouted Lexie.

The room quickly emptied of everyone but Gideon and Lexie. Red streaks had begun lacing across Gideon's near translucent skin, and his breathing was becoming shallow.

"Lex," he murmured with his eyes shut, "if you want to just kill me now, I understand. Safer that way…"

"No. If there's a chance I can save you, I'm taking it," said Lexie. She caressed his pale cheek with the back of her hand. "Gods, Gideon. You're ice cold!"

"Yeah… I… if you're gonna bite me… needs to be now," said Gideon. "It's happening… Love you…"

Lexie let out a strangled cry, and cradled Gideon's face in her hands. She pressed her lips against his, softly at first, then with force. He kissed her back with what strength he had left. Gently, she took his lower lip between her teeth, and bit until she tasted blood.

Lexie quickly pulled her face away from Gideon's as he began to scream and convulse. His back arched, and his limbs stiffened, as his eyes rolled around wildly in his head. The red streaks disappeared, and his skin took on a luminescent golden hue. The wail emanating from him was unearthly. The distinct smell of burning roses filled the room.

Lexie stepped away from the sofa, hands to her mouth, and tears rolling down her cheeks. She did this to him—and she didn't even know if it was helping him, or if she'd have to kill him anyway.

After what seemed like an eternity, the convulsions and screaming abated, although Gideon's skin still had a faint golden glow to it. He collapsed against the sofa cushions, his limbs splayed out like a ragdoll's.

Lexie approached Gideon cautiously, and felt his wrist for a pulse. It was barely discernable, but it was there. His breathing was so shallow that his chest didn't even rise and fall.

"Gid?" she whispered, patting his cheeks. Nothing. Lexie didn't know what to do. She had been prepared to kill him if he had vamped out or clearly turned into a monster. He didn't appear to be an immediate threat, and aside from the slight golden glow to his skin, which was quickly fading, he didn't look any different. He simply looked like Gideon.

Lexie turned when she heard soft footfalls coming down the stairs behind her. Aurora stood at the bottom step.

"What happened to Gideon? We heard screaming… Is it safe for everyone else to come down now?" she asked.

Lexie didn't trust herself to speak. She nodded her head, and gestured behind her to the prone figure on the sofa.

Aurora approached the sofa and touched Gideon's forehead. She called to Dipper telepathically, and in moments the rest of the group joined them back in the living room.

"How is he?" asked Dipper, making his way over to Gideon.

Lexie wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and shrugged.

"I do not sense the evil of a vampire within him, nor the feral nature of a werewolf," said Aurora. She sounded perplexed. "He does not feel one hundred percent human anymore—but he also does not feel like a monster."

"So…do you think he's gonna be okay?" asked Lexie. She wanted to believe it, but at the same time, she had seen the convulsions—she didn't want to set herself up for heartbreak if Gideon was beyond repair.

Jessica walked forward. "It's possible that his unconsciousness now isn't a supernatural matter—he lost an extreme amount of blood. I can work some healing magic on him, but not enough to replenish the blood he lost. If I was one-hundred percent sure he was safe, I'd say we take him to the hospital for a transfusion. But we can't be one-hundred percent sure about him until he wakes up."

"Ugh, catch twenty-two," said Mabel. "Dipper, I know you're super tapped, but do you think there's a chance you can use the rift somehow to heal Gideon?"

Before Dipper could respond, Jessica, Aurora, and Wendy all shouted "NO!" in unison.

"Woah there, it was just an idea," muttered Mabel, holding up her hands.

"There is a possibility that I can help him," said Aurora quietly. "Dragons are shapeshifters. This is my true human form, but I am capable of taking on others. Dragons are different from other shapeshifters in that we become the form we are taking, down to a molecular level. I can take Gideon's form, and we can perform a line to line transfusion here at the house with some of the medical equipment Ford keeps on hand for emergencies. I am just not sure how the transfusion will react with him, since he's been bitten by both vampire and werewolf."

Lexie's heartbeat sped up. "Just help him," she said to Aurora. "We'll figure out the rest later."

Dipper nodded. "If there are complications we'll deal with them. Besides, this seems like our only option."

"So let me get this straight," said Pacifica. "A dragon is transforming into Gideon in order to give him a blood transfusion, due to blood loss caused by a bite from the world's first vampire, but we're not sure what'll happen when he wakes up, because he was also bitten by a werewolf? Geez, that's weird even for Gravity Falls."

"Yes, that is the gist of it," said Aurora with a nod. "Now if I'm going to do this, we need those medical supplies. Wendy, can you go down to the basement and find a box labeled 'emergency med supplies' and bring it up here?"

"I guess," said Wendy, as she trudged to the basement door. "My dad isn't going to be too happy with us. Not looking forward to _that_."

Aurora smiled. "That is why I'm sending you. You are his daughter—he can only be so mad at you, right?"

Lexie tapped her foot impatiently. "Okay, so we have a plan. Can we please move this along? My boyfriend is kind of barely alive right now."

Wendy nodded, and trotted down the basement steps. Moments later she trotted back up, a large box in her grasp.

"So, we have a bit of a problem," said Wendy, as she sat the box at Aurora's feet. She looked up at Jessica. "Pike's not in the basement anymore. He's gone."

/

Pike slowly limped toward downtown Gravity Falls as the weak morning sun peeked over the horizon. He was wandering aimlessly, trying to ignore the door in his head being pounded against. He had to keep going. He didn't know why—he just knew that he couldn't relax and allow the door to open.

Pike's clothes were soaked in blood—his own, mostly—and a grimy layer of vampire dust. He popped a couple aspirin, not to protect from vampire bites, as they wouldn't be out in the sunlight, but to help ease the throbbing ache in his head. He twirled a wooden stake between his fingers. Dipper still had his bokken. He wanted to be angry about that, and about how they'd locked him in the basement, when all he was trying to do was protect them. However, he was bone-weary, and couldn't spare any energy for being angry. He could barely see straight.

Being unable to see straight is what led him to nearly walking into a perky, blonde cheerleader, who approached him wearing a wide smile.

"Hey, it's my Pikey-wikey!" chirped the girl. "Damn, you look like the devil's asshole."

"I—wh—Princess?" Pike asked uncertainly. He stumbled back a few steps.

The girl grinned and did a little shimmy. "I look good for my age, no?"

Pike blinked and stared at her wordlessly, the stake hanging limply from his hand. Suddenly he noticed a dark figure slinking up behind her. His eyes widened. How was it out in the day-time?

" _Shit_ , it's the Primordial!" he cried, not taking his eyes off the monster. "I'll hold it off! Run Bu—"

Pike had risked a quick glance at the cheerleader's face—but she was no longer the cheerleader.

Lillith stood before him in her full demon form, leathery wings outstretched, her face and body horribly scarred from when he had set her on fire with holy flame. Her eyes glowed red, and her grin was full of malice.

"You are simply just _too_ much fun to mess with," she gloated. "The look on your _pathetic_ face—priceless."

"You _bitch_ ," spat Pike.

Lillith threw her head back and laughed, as the Primordial sauntered up next to her.

"Oh, Pike, I don't believe you've met my new friend? I'm sure you've heard of him, though. Word is he nibbled on one of your little proteges—the one with the white hair, I think it was?"

Pike felt a pang of guilt in his chest at the reminder of Gideon. He wasn't sure exactly how his situation had turned out. As he had been painstakingly pulling himself through one of the tiny basement windows, he'd heard an inhuman wail. By the time he'd extricated himself, the wailing had stopped. Pike assumed that the group had dealt with Gideon in the manner he suggested.

"You know what, Lillith? You're a fucking coward, going after kids," growled Pike. "The Powers want _me_ dead, right? Well, here I am, bitch. Come at me." He crouched down into a fighting stance, the sharpened stake firmly in his grasp. It wouldn't kill Lillith, but getting impaled still hurts something fierce.

Lillith smirked down at Pike. "Oh honey, _I'm_ not going to fight you right now. I just got my nails did." She waggled her fingers at him—her talons were painted a brilliant red. "No, I'm going to sit this one out. The Primordial has been cooped up for thousands of years—he's a bit peckish. If you somehow manage to survive a fight with him, I'm next up on the roster. You boys have fun now!"

Lillith vanished, leaving Pike standing in the middle of an empty street, facing the most powerful vampire in existence.

"Awesome," Pike muttered, slowly stepping backward, and readying himself for a brutal fight.

The Primordial snarled, and stepped forward.

"Puny mortal. Lillith tells me you are very powerful. Too powerful to live. I think she is trying to play a joke on me. You are nothing, just a pathetic worm."

The vampire made a rough coughing noise, which Pike realized was actually a laugh. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Ouch, low blow, dude!" said Pike, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Words can hurt, you know. Speaking of words, how the hell are you speaking English? England didn't even exist the last time you walked the earth."

"The hell queen put the knowledge directly into my brain. I also have her memories of your previous fight with her." The Primordial bared its fangs in a wide grin. "There is no way you will best me."

Pike shrugged. "Well you do seem really confident, and confidence _is_ key."

"Enough talk!" shrieked the Primordial, launching itself at Pike. "I'm hungry!"

Pike dodged the vampire's outstretched claws, but only just. He wasn't able to even attempt a strike, as the Primordial's blows came too quickly for him to do more than defend himself.

Pike wasn't sure how to attack the Primordial—he didn't know its weaknesses, or if it even _had_ any weaknesses. Sunlight definitely wasn't one. The sun was over the treetops now, and it didn't seem to faze the Primordial one bit.

After ten minutes of playing "Dodge the Claws and Teeth," Pike was sweating furiously. His normally slicked back hair was hanging limply across his forehead, where the sweat was mixing with dried blood, and dripping in his eyes. He shook his head to get the dripping strands out of his face, and drops of blood-red sweat went flying, some landing on the Primordial's arm.

The Primordial leapt back, hissing.

"Your blood, it burns! The purple-magicked female last night had burning blood, too!" he shrieked. "What is this sorcery?"

Pike took several paces back from the Primordial, happy for a chance to catch his breath.

"Oh, that burning sensation would be from the holy water that my blood is laced with," he said with a cocky grin. Apparently the Primordial had a weakness after all.

Before the Primordial had a chance to regroup, Pike quietly mumbled an improvised spell.

"Facti sunt sanguine gladius."

The dried blood all over Pike's clothes and body began to liquify, and roll toward his right hand, where it coalesced into a wickedly sharp sword. Pike felt a wave a dizziness wash over him, and realized the spell was leeching blood from his body as well, because he hadn't set limits on it.

"Crap," he muttered. "Uh, termineum incantamentum."

Finally, Pike was on the offense. He threw himself at the Primordial, nearly skewering the beast. It leapt away with a yowl like a feral cat, and attempted to knock the sword aside, shrieking in pain when the broad side of the sword smacked against its hand.

"Aw, the poor little Primordial isn't used to feeling pain, is it?" taunted Pike. "Boo- _fucking_ -hoo."

The Primordial was also unused to prey that talked back. It screeched in rage and blindly launched itself at its adversary. Pike grinned and braced himself, jabbing the sword forcefully into the Primordial's chest cavity.

The Primordial screamed, clawing at the sword protruding from its chest. Black streaks were spreading from the wound, but it didn't appear to be dying.

"Balls," muttered Pike. "Beheading it is, then." In one swift movement, he yanked the sword from the Primordial's chest, pushed it to the ground, and held it down with a boot to its stomach. He crouched and placed the tip of the sword on the ground next to the beast's neck, and then lifted it, and swung it down onto the creature's throat with a dull thud. The Primordial jerked and gurgled wetly, yet continued to struggle against Pike's boot. The cut wasn't clean through—bits of sinew and skin still connected the Primordial's head to its body.

"Dammit," said Pike. "I must be weaker than I thought."

Pike chopped at the Primordial's neck two more times, just to be sure. After the second blow, it stopped struggling. Pike stood up and kicked the Primordial's head away from its body.

"Ugly bastard," he spat. "That was for Gideon."

Pike began to trudge back in the direction of the Corduroy home, when the pounding in his head began again, so loud that it resounded through his whole body. He _felt_ it. Whatever was behind the door in his mind was taking advantage of Pike's weakened and exhausted state to try and force its way through.

"No. No, no, no," he mumbled.

Pike's vision began darkening around the edges, and he was hit so forcefully by vertigo that he stumbled to the side and fell down. The pounding on the door reverberated through his whole body. He watched, in his mind's eye, an enormous crack split down the center of the door from top to bottom, as he fought to remain conscious. Pike was losing the fight, and he knew it.

/

The dragon-facilitated Gideon to Gideon blood transfusion was complete, and Jessica had done her best to stabilize him with her magic. Now came the waiting game.

Lexie hadn't left Gideon's side. Everyone else gave her space, and she tuned out any noise they made. She kept his hand clasped in hers, and stared at his face, searching for any change in his condition. They still didn't know what was going to happen when he woke up. He clearly hadn't turned into a vampire _or_ a werewolf, but that didn't mean he was going to wake up completely normal.

Lexie reached out and brushed her hand against Gideon's cheek. He was still ghostly pale, even after the blood transfusion, but his skin was no longer ice cold. Every once in a while, his eyelids would flutter as if he was dreaming.

"Please, Gid, wake up," Lexie whispered. "Please be okay, please." She sniffled and wiped her cheeks. Lexie rarely ever cried. She figured in the past twenty-four hours she must have shed more tears than during the past three years. She'd always seen crying as admitting weakness, and thought she was too strong to turn into a blubbering mess over anything. That was normally the case, except, apparently, with Gideon. The thought of losing him made her feel vulnerable and fragile.

Lexie yawned, and placed her head on Gideon's chest, comforted by the strong, steady beat of his heart. She blinked rapidly, trying to stave off the exhaustion from staying up all night.

"Lexie?"

Lexie's eyes shot open, and her head flew up, all traces of exhaustion wiped away by the surge of adrenaline she felt at the sound of Gideon's voice.

His gazed at her warmly, a small smile on his lips. Lexie's heart skipped several beats.

It was a moment before she was able to speak.

"I thought—I thought I'd lost you," said Lexie, her voice quavering.

"Oh, sugar, you know you're not going to get rid of me that easy," Gideon said weakly. He attempted to pull himself into a sitting position, wincing as he moved his neck and shoulder. Jessica's magic had burned out any infection, but the wound was still raw.

Lexie reached down to help him sit up, but instead of trying to sit, Gideon pulled her against him in a gentle hug. She sighed and breathed in his scent.

"Oh, Gideon's awake!" shouted Dipper, as he walked into the living room from the kitchen, where the rest of the group was congregated.

Gideon started, and glanced up at Dipper with a strange expression, before disengaging from his hug with Lexie.

Dipper opened his mouth to say something to Gideon, but stopped. He could have sworn that for a split-second, Gideon's pupils had turned into vertical slits. He shook his head, and crossed the room to check on his friend. It was probably just a trick of the light.

/

The group lounged sleepily in the living room, feeling like they could finally relax, now that Gideon was awake and they knew for sure they didn't have to kill him.

Everyone was relaxed, that is, but Wendy. She was becoming increasingly agitated that no one seemed to be worried about where Pike had gone, except her. She paced the room, and kept going to the windows and pulling aside the curtains, hoping to see her dad walking up the path to the front door.

"Honey, quit pacing. Your dad is quite capable of taking care of himself," said Jessica. "He was pissed at us for locking him in the basement, and probably just decided to walk it off instead of confronting us. I bet he went home and got a shower, then tucked himself in bed. In fact, that sounds like a good plan. Dipper is still weak from overdoing it with the rift, Gideon nearly died, and the rest of you all have been up for over twenty-four hours now. I think everyone should try to get some shut-eye."

"But mom—"

"No buts, Gwendolyn," said Jessica, her voice stern. "You're going to worry yourself sick."

" _Actually_ , former Star Child, your daughter is quite right to be worried about her father. Pike's time is almost up."

Everyone jumped, and turned toward the kitchen. In the doorway stood an elderly gentleman, wearing an overcoat and fedora, leaning on an ebony cane.

"Who the hell are you?!" cried Jessica.

Dipper and Lexie leapt to their feet, prepared for a fight.

The man smiled, as if he were indulging a small child. "Wendy, Mabel, Pacifica, would one of you care to introduce me?"

Mabel sighed. "The old guy is one of the Powers That Be. You know—the assholes who want Pike dead?"

"My dear," said the gentleman, holding a hand to his heart as if her words hurt him. "We don't _want_ him dead. We'd much rather have him work for us. However, since he insists on being recalcitrant, we have no choice but to order his death. He is a wild-card, with a spotty past, who is powerful enough to upset the careful balance that the Powers That Be have so carefully nurtured."

"Spotty past?" said Wendy. "What's that supposed to mean?" She glanced at Jessica, who opened her mouth to reply. However, the Power interrupted her.

"My darling," said the Power, his tone patronizing, "your mother may have known Pike as a child, but she still has no knowledge of the events of which I speak. I've imparted upon Mabel the knowledge of how to search for the answers you seek—however, I warn you—the answers you seek will most likely bring about more questions and hurt."

Dipper glared at the Power, his fists clenched. "Mabel, what is he talking about? What knowledge did he 'impart upon you'?"

"I had a vision," said Mabel quietly. "I know how to look into Pike's mind. We were going to attempt it earlier, but then the whole thing with Gideon almost dying happened."

"If you are going to attempt it, it had better be soon," said the Power. "Pike is nearing the end, and once he is dead, the answers you seek will be lost to you forever."

As suddenly as the Power had appeared, he was gone. The room was silent for a moment. Finally, Wendy shook her hair out of her face, squared her shoulders, and turned to Mabel.

"I want to do this," said Wendy firmly. "Mabel, just tell us what to do."

/

Pike lay still in the street, his eyes closed. He felt like the earth spinning around him. The pounding against the door was unbearably loud, but it was slowing, in sync with his weakening heartbeat.

 _This is it. This is how I die._

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…," he whispered.

Pike's breathing slowed. His consciousness was fading quickly, the door was crumbling.

Before he slipped completely into darkness, he felt an odd tickling sensation in the back of his mind—like someone was trying to get in.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 25: The Bizarre And Curious Tale Of Oliver Corduroy

/

/

/

 **I'M BACK!** Sorry that I was gone so long, a lot of not good things went down. But here I am once again. Only two chapters remain in season two, and there gonna be doozies. Thank You to everyone who kept coming back and rereading and to all those that have just joined us. I promise I won't be gone so long between chapter again.

/

Special thanks go out to TGGDSD and to fereality for helping me try to keep my head on straight while I was away.

/

ChaoticDurdle( formerly geekngroom ) Thank you for reigniting my drive to tell this tale and for taking the ramblings of a madman and making them come to life. Love ya babe.

/

Peace


	25. The Bizarre And Curious Tale Of Pike

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

 **The Bizarre And Curious Tale Of Oliver Corduroy**

Pike stood in the dark, mist-shrouded void in front of the worn door, his shoulders sagging. The door had tripled in size, and jagged cracks ran the length of it, spreading with each thump, as whatever was on the other side continued to pound against it unceasingly. It shook on its hinges, creaking and groaning as it slowly crumbled against the force of the blows.

Pike covered his eyes with an arm, as one of the cracks split open wide enough that blinding light shone through. He blinked rapidly and squinted, as bright, colorful, swirling light surrounded him like an aura. Sparks, like iridescent motes of dust, floated around him, and a soft breeze began to whistle through the expanding crack.

"Stop!" shouted Pike, desperation straining his vocal cords. "Stop trying to get out! The door is in place for a reason! It can't fall! I have to keep you safe, don't you understand?!"

The pounding continued.

Trembling, and exhausted to his very core, Pike turned his back to the door and braced himself against it, his pulse matching the rapid banging that shook both the door, and his body. The knocking was so jarring that it felt like his brain was rattling around in his skull.

Pike gritted his teeth, and planted his feet firmly, pushing the full weight of his body against the deteriorating door, praying to all the gods that it would hold.

/

Sparse smoke and the smell of burning incense hung in the inky blackness, which spread in all directions. The darkness was interspersed with flickering images that kept breaking into static, as if the connection was bad. Dipper, Mabel, Wendy and Jessica trudged forward without purpose, unsure of what they were supposed to be looking for.

"This is really weird," muttered Mabel. "This is nothing like Grunkle Stan's mindscape."

"Well, I mean, you've got to figure that everyone's mindscape is going to be different," pointed out Dipper. "Pike and Grunkle Stan are two very different individuals, so of course their mindscapes would be too."

"You two have been inside Stanley's mind?" asked Jessica, wrinkling her brow.

"Dude, mom, think about who you're talking to," said Wendy, rolling her eyes. "They're the flippin' Mystery Twins. They went into Stan's mindscape the very first summer they visited Gravity Falls."

"Ah," uttered Jessica, with a non-committal shrug.

"I just wish the Power guy had given me an idea of what to look for when he gave me the vision," complained Mabel. "He said we don't have much time, and we're just wa-AAH!" She fell forward, having tripped on something obscured in the mist at their feet.

"So…itty-bitty train tracks?" she said, as she took Jessica's proffered hand and got back to her feet.

As if on cue, a set of four miniature roller coaster cars rolled squeakily up the track, stopping in front of the group with the quiet hiss of hydraulic brakes.

"I guess we get in and see where it takes us?" suggested Dipper.

"I call dibs on the front car!" said Wendy, hopping in and buckling up. Dipper climbed into the car behind her. Mabel took the car behind him, and Jessica brought up the rear.

"Where do you think it's going to take us?" asked Wendy, turning halfway in her seat to face Dipper, as the carts lurched into motion.

"I honestly have no clue," said Dipper. "Wait, what?"

The cars were picking up speed, and the occupants suddenly realized that the distance between each car was increasing. Before anyone had a chance to act, the four cars all veered off on different courses. Each person was going to have to explore Pike's mindscape on their own.

/

The Pines' living room looked like a crime scene, sans the blood. Dipper, Wendy, Mabel, and Jessica all lay on the floor, unconscious.

Aurora paced the room nervously, absently biting her fingernails, and mumbling to herself, while Pacifica sat on the floor with Mabel's head cradled in her lap, gently stroking her girlfriend's hair. Lexie sat on the end of the sofa, while Gideon, still weak from blood loss, leaned against her.

"Aurora, pacing isn't going to bring them out of Pike's mindscape any quicker," said Pacifica, annoyance clear in her voice. "Sit down, will you? You're giving us all anxiety."

Aurora frowned, then thumped down in the overstuffed chair. She had traded biting her nails for fidgeting with an antique puzzle box. She wasn't even trying to open it—she just needed something to do with her hands.

"I am sorry if I am causing you distress," she said quietly. "I don't know what do to with myself… I'm supposed to protect Dipper, and I can protect his body here… but the rest of him is somewhere out there in the ether—hopefully in Pike's mindscape, if Mabel performed the ritual correctly."

"Yeah, talk like that isn't really helping either," muttered Pacifica. She sighed, and looked down at Mabel's face, stroking her cheek softly. "Mabes, you are the best person I know. I get that you wanted to help Wendy gain some understanding of her dad, but sometimes I wish you were a bit more selfish, and a bit less giving. I don't want to lose you."

Lexie and Gideon weren't overtly ignoring the others in the room, but they weren't really paying attention to them either.

"Do you want a snack, Gid? Orange juice? Something to help keep your blood sugar up?" asked Lexie. She still couldn't shake the panic of having nearly lost Gideon, and felt like she needed to be _doing_ something to get him well again.

"I'm fine, sugar, you can relax a little," said Gideon, gripping Lexie's hand and squeezing it. "Your little love bite saved my life. Now that I have brand new dragon blood in me—well, I won't lie and say I'm back to one-hundred percent, but I actually don't feel that bad."

Lexie bit her lip. "Are you sure, Gid? I don't want you pretending to feel better so I won't worry."

Gideon chuckled. "Perish the thought. You know I'm not that good an actor, Lex."

Lexie smiled in spite of herself. He really was a pretty bad actor.

"Ah, now there's the smile I love," said Gideon, bopping Lexie's bottom lip gently with a finger.

"I'm not sure how it took me so long to realize I love you," Lexie said quietly, leaning her forehead against Gideon's. "You always know what to say to cheer me up."

"Hmm," said Gideon. He took a deep breath, and looked into Lexie's eyes. They were glowing a soft amber color. "This may not be the best time to ask you this, because, well—" Gideon indicated to their unconscious friends laying on the floor. "But Lexie, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the homecoming dance later this month?"

Lexie giggled. "A normal high school dance? Yes, please?"

Gideon grinned and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a loud clatter. Aurora had stood abruptly from her chair, and dropped the puzzle box on the hardwood floor. The blood had drained from her cheeks.

"We are not alone," she whispered. "There is someone—something in the house with us."

/

Dipper shivered as his cart sped through wisps of fog in Pike's mindscape. He was travelling too quickly to discern what was happening in the flickering images all around him, what memories he was passing. Then, the cart lurched a little, and began to slow. It rolled to a stop in front of what appeared to be a drive-in movie screen. Dipper sat back and folded his arms, waiting for the show.

A projector somewhere behind him whirred to life, and old, grainy, slightly discolored images flashed onto the screen. It took Dipper a moment to get his bearings—he was actually seeing the memories _from_ Pike's point of view… and apparently hearing the thoughts that accompanied them.

Hands wrapped, training with a punching bag. _Gotta keep going. So many people counting on me._

Dipper gasped as a wave of pure exhaustion washed over him, and blinked, as sweat dripped into his eyes. Not only was he seeing what Pike saw and hearing his thoughts, he was _feeling_ what Pike felt. He was experiencing the entire memory, down to the aching muscles and knuckles, which were swollen and bloody from Pike's barrage of blows aimed at the punching bag.

The memory dissolved and Dipper sighed with relief, glancing at his knuckles, just to make sure they weren't swollen. A new memory took its place, however, and Dipper nearly doubled over, suddenly hit with a stitch in his side. He began gasping for breath like an asthmatic, and once again found himself drenched in sweat.

Pike was running, flat out. Sprinting as fast as he was able. He wasn't being chased. According to his thoughts, he was training again.

 _Five more miles. Then weightlifting. Call Oz and see if he wants to spar later. I've gotten too soft. I shouldn't have stayed in Gravity Falls for so long._

A vision flashed into Dipper's head, a memory of a memory. It was Wendy as a toddler, complete with red pigtails and skinned knees.

"Fly me Unka Ollie!" she cried, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. He lifted her up, and swung her around, while she shrieked with delight.

The vision faded, and Dipper was once again watching through Pike's eyes as he ran, and feeling every pain in his worn out body. Pike got another stitch in his side, and grunted with pain, but kept running.

 _I can't ever stop, especially now that I have Pippy to keep safe, too._

The memory faded from the screen, and Dipper felt his heartbeat return to normal. The sweat he'd felt dripping down his back was gone. Another image started to slowly come into focus on the screen, and Dipper tried to prepare himself for whatever physical exertion was going to come next.

Instead, as Pike, he was sitting in front of a large mahogany table, piled with thick, musty, leather-bound books. He was flipping through a particularly ancient-looking tome, too quickly for Dipper to see what it was about, until he stopped on a page and began to read silently. The writing was in an obscure language that Dipper didn't recognize, but luckily, Pike's thoughts translated what he was reading into English.

 _Soul magick is the most powerful, and one of the least practiced of all branches of magick. Only the most disciplined, strong-willed individuals are able to practice soul magick, and even then, it is rare for anyone to be able to do large workings. At its most powerful, soul magick allows its wielder to create, or destroy nearly anything, as it bends reality to the will of its wielder_. _However, soul magick is incredibly dangerous to those who attempt to harness its power, because the magick is pulled from the life force, or soul, of the wielder. The amount of life force used is dependent on the complexity of the working, and the strength of the wielder. It is possible to drain one's entire life force to achieve a working, but of course, this causes the death of the wielder._

Dipper blinked, and suddenly the memory changed. Pike was no longer amongst musty spell books. Instead, he was in a very familiar area of the forest, near the tree house. Dipper was looking through Pike's eyes at himself. Pike was staring at Dipper, Gideon, Lexie, Wendy, and Aurora, who were all hallucinating that the DD & MD game they were playing was real.

Dipper felt like the left half of his body was being stabbed with a thousand needles. As Pike looked down, he saw it was covered in blisters. His left upper arm hurt even worse. Pike had been bitten by Lexie, in her werewolf form. As if that wasn't enough, his head throbbed dully, and he felt a bit queasy. Apparently Pike was hung over during this memory.

"I tried to play nice, but _fuck_ if you guys don't take this game _way_ too damn seriously!" Dipper felt his vocal cords strain, but it was Pike's voice that screamed.

 _I am so going to regret this in the morning_ Pike thought, as he ran away from the attacking teenagers and took a knee, pounding a fist into the ground.

"Hastam de caelo descendit!" Dipper heard and felt Pike scream.

Dipper's vision went black as Pike closed his eyes, and he heard a deafening crack of thunder. Dipper felt a strange tingling sensation in his head, but Pike seemed to ignore it, as he went on to use the weapon he had summoned to soundly beat the tar out of the hallucinating teenagers.

He glanced down at the werewolf bite on his arm, which was bleeding profusely, and began to tremble, then dropped to his knees. Dipper felt an odd sensation that he could only describe as something crawling in his veins.

 _Shit, the werewolf virus moves quickly. I don't have any choice… I have to use Purgabit Corpus. This is gonna suuuuuuuck._

Jessica, Mabel, and Pacifica approached Pike, and he broke the curse on the DD&MD game. Then he dismissed the weapon he had summoned, and crawled away from them.

 _I hope this doesn't cost me too much_ thought Pike, just before he shouted "PURGABIT CORPUS."

A searing pain erupted from his werewolf bite, as it turned black and began to smoke. The crawling sensation in his veins felt as if it was moving toward the bite, until he saw dark blood and pus begin to ooze from the wound. The blisters on the left half of his body began to sizzle and pop open, their contents bursting out like miniature hell geysers. A wave of nausea, the magnitude of which Dipper didn't even know was possible, washed over him, and his entire body tingled in an uncomfortable way, like he was receiving thousands of static shocks all over his body at once.

That was nothing, compared to the vomit. Pike opened his mouth, and a vile black liquid poured forth. He wasn't just vomiting from his stomach. Dipper could _feel_ the toxins and impurities being pulled out of every part of Pike's body, like someone had his organs and bones tied to a rope, and was trying to pull him inside-out.

The vomit just kept coming. Dipper didn't know it was possible for a human body to feel as physically horrible as Pike did during this memory. Finally, the black spew slowed, then stopped. Pike was barely able to crawl away from the mess he'd made, before collapsing in a heap. His whole body tingled, and not in a pleasant way.

 _Shit…I think I overdid it this time,_ he thought, as Dipper saw Pike's peripheral vision going dark.

Then there was nothing but static.

Dipper took a deep breath, trying to process what he had just seen, heard, and _felt_. Pike didn't deal with demons. He never had. He only was as powerful as he was because he was using his own _life force_ to bend reality to his will.

Dipper also now knew, with certainty, that Pike was a protector. If it meant making the world safer for others, he was willing to sacrifice his life.

Dipper hung his head in shame as the cart slowly started to move again.

/

Mabel stood in her cart as it tore through Pike's mindscape, pulling her arms inside her sweater, and letting the empty sweater arms flap behind her like a cape. If she was going by herself on a tour of Pike's psyche, she could at least make it fun.

The cart suddenly lurched to a complete stop, causing Mabel to flip forward over the front of it.

"I'm okay," she said to no one, as she quickly stood up and brushed herself off. When she looked up, she had to cover her mouth with her hands to keep from yelping.

In front of her, at a long, wooden table that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, sat five robed figures.

"YOU HOLIER-THAN-THOU, MOTHERFUCKING, SHIT-EATING, CUNT-MUNCHERS!"

Mabel jumped, and whirled around to face the person screaming behind her.

"Pike?"

A version of Pike, younger than the one Mabel was familiar with, stood facing the group at the table, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. A vein throbbed in his temple, and his face was a mask of hatred. He didn't acknowledge Mabel. Apparently, she was merely observing this scene from his past.

"You never told me the key you wanted me to destroy was a fucking _kid_!" Pike spat. "And not just any kid—the kid sister of the girl I love! You want me to kill her innocent little sister!"

"Language, son, language," said an elderly gentleman sitting in a large, throne-like chair at the center of the table. Mabel squinted at him. It was the Power—her Power! The one who had showed her how to enter Pike's mindscape.

"You know very well that we would never ask you to harm an _innocent_ child," continued the Power. "But she is no ordinary child. Her existence is an assault against the balance of the universe. She holds the power to tear down the walls of reality. _Surely_ you can understand why her death is necessary."

Pike sneered. "What I _understand_ is that the Powers That Be are afraid of a kid, so they sent me to do their dirty work for them." He spat on the ground. "You are a bunch of pathetic cowards."

"Pike, be reasonable," said a woman of indeterminate age, who was sitting to the left of Mabel's Power. "You are in just as much danger from the key as we are. _Everyone_ is. All your loved ones. The whole _world_. Even if she appears innocent now, evil could manipulate her at any time."

Pike laughed darkly. "That is so much bullshit. My Princess would never let evil anywhere near the key. She'd protect her little sister up to her dying breath."

The center Power folded his hands on the table in front of him, a sickening smirk crossing his face. "If you refuse to destroy the key, that is likely what will end up happening. The girl you love will die."

Pike backed up a step and shook his head. "No, you're lying. I'm not doing it." As an afterthought, he added "And this concludes our business relationship as well. I can't work for 'the Powers That Be Trying to Kill an Innocent Child.'"

The Power at the center of the table bowed his head. "Very well. We cannot force you to work for us, Pike. But know this— _you_ made this decision. And now you will have to live with its consequences."

A heavy wave of mist passed in front of Mabel, and when it dissipated, the scene had changed. Pike stood alone, in a dark forest, in front of a single, freshly dug grave. He knelt, and placed a long-stemmed red rose against the modest, granite headstone.

"I'm sorry, Princess," he whispered so quietly that Mabel had to move closer to be able to hear him. "I'll find a way to fix this. And I know your friends—they won't let this stand."

He leaned forward, and pressed his forehead against the gravestone. "Whatever hell dimension you're in, Princess, I swear to you—I'll get you out of there."

Pike and the grave he knelt over dissolved into nothing, leaving Mabel standing alone in the dark, fog-covered field, next to her cart. She sighed and climbed in. As she sat down, the cart began to move, but Mabel didn't notice. She was in her head, trying to process the scene she had just witnessed.

/

As Wendy's cart rolled through the darkness of Pike's mind, the landscape around her began to look familiar. She was home, in a manner of speaking. The cart was taking her up her street as it had looked when she was around ten years old. The cart bumped to a halt in front of the Corduroy family cabin. Wendy climbed out and approached the front door. From inside she could hear the deep, guttural rumble of Manly Dan's voice, raised in anger, and Pike's lighter, but no less angry counterpoint. Wendy pushed the door open, and slowly stepped into the house.

"Dan, you can't just ignore this," said Pike. He was leaning against the wall next to a framed picture of Dan and Jessica on their wedding day. "Jess is gone. Your kids want to know _why_. They deserve the truth—they need to know that Jess wasn't—"

"No," growled Dan. He sat on the red plaid sofa, his elbows on his knees, cradling his bearded chin in his hands. "They can never know about that side of her. All the memories they have of their mother are good ones, and I want to keep it that way. If the banishment ritual holds, they'll never have to know any different."

Pike's fists were balled so tightly at his sides that his knuckles were white. "That is such _bullshit_ , Dan! You can't just lie to them for the rest of their lives! Especially Wendy—she's old enough that just telling her 'Mommy had to go away,' isn't going to be an acceptable answer to her. She'll want the truth. You owe her that much."

Dan stood up from the sofa, and crossed the room in two strides to tower over his little brother. "Listen, _Pike_ , I appreciate that you want to help set things right, but they are _my_ kids, and I am going to handle it _my_ way. If you have a problem with that, maybe you should go."

"Fine," said Pike, tonelessly. He turned on his heel, and made his way to the front door. Wendy didn't have time to step aside, and the memory of Pike stepped through her like a cold gust of wind. He slammed the door behind him, and as his motorcycle roared to life, everything shimmered, and the scene changed.

Wendy bit her lip. She was in her bedroom, looking at her ten-year-old self curled up in bed, hugging an old, worn-out teddy bear, and weeping inconsolably. She remembered this. It was the day after her mom had disappeared.

A soft knock on the door startled the younger Wendy. She sniffled, and tried to wipe the evidence of her crying from her face. All she succeeded in was rubbing red blotches onto her wet cheeks.

"Come in," the young girl called.

"Hey, kiddo, how you holding up?" asked Pike, as he sauntered into the room.

"Uncle Ollie? I thought you left… I heard your motorcycle…" Young Wendy trailed off, and wiped her eyes, which had begun watering over again.

"Well, yeah, I left," said Pike, as he plopped down on the bed, pulling a paper sack out from behind his back. "But only to get my Pippy her favorite junk food!"

Young Wendy gave Pike a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, Uncle Ollie."

"Anything for you, kiddo," said Pike, as he wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a bear hug.

Young Wendy began sobbing again, into her uncle's shoulder. He pulled her into his lap and began to rock her.

Wendy watched Pike's face with fascination. At this point he'd already known for years that he was her biological dad, but he couldn't tell her. His little girl's heart was breaking, and still he had to play the role of "Uncle Ollie." He looked broken. Broken, and lost.

Finally, younger Wendy's sobs stopped, and she slid from her uncle's lap. She picked up her teddy bear, and held it to her chest.

"Uncle Ollie… you never lie to me," she said, looking down at the bear. "Is everything going to be okay?"

Pike visibly winced as she said he never lied to her, but by the time she glanced from her bear to his face, he was smiling.

"It sure is, Pippy. I'll see to it myself. Now how about we pig out and watch bad movies?"

The scene flickered, then vanished. Wendy stood motionless, wondering absently why her face was wet. She felt a soft nudge on the backs of her legs, and turned to see the cart directly behind her. She climbed in, and pulled her knees to her chest as it began to move.

Oliver Corduroy was a good man, and nobody, not even the Powers That Be, could convince Wendy otherwise.

/

Jessica Corduroy stared at the darkness around her with wide eyes, as her cart zipped through Pike's mindscape. She had worked magic before, both with and without the help of the rift—but she had never before travelled through someone's consciousness. She wasn't sure what it was _supposed_ to feel like in someone's head, but something about Pike's mindscape seemed off to her.

Her cart slowed down, but didn't stop, as it entered a dense forest of withered, blackened trees. Jessica unconsciously tried to make herself smaller, being acutely aware of the kind of evil Pike had gone up against in the past. She didn't know what kind of memories could be lurking nearby. She shivered, worried that she would come upon herself, as she was when she was corrupted by the rift, and evil.

"Jessie, wait up!" rang out a shrill child's voice.

Jessica shot up and whipped her head around. She saw a flickering image just behind the tree line, like a picture on an old television set with bad reception.

"Ollie?" she called. A small boy darted out of the trees, gritting his teeth and crying. He didn't seem to notice her.

Jessica's cart continued to move, but slowed to a crawl, presumably to let her see how this memory played out. She'd heard little Ollie call out for 'Jessie,' but she was sure now that he hadn't been calling out to _her_ , but to the memory of her.

"Ollie, stop following us!" shouted a young girl's voice, from amongst the trees. Jessica felt nauseated. That was definitely her voice, but she couldn't recall this particular memory from her point of view.

"Yeah, _Dolly_ , stop following us!" bellowed an older boy's voice. "You'll only slow us down!"

"Danny, be nice!" hissed young Jessica, as she audibly smacked his arm.

"Ollie, go home!" called another older boy.

"Jacob…" whispered Jessica.

So this memory was from one of the summers when Dipper and Mabel's dad was a boy, visiting relatives in Gravity Falls. Jessica remembered those summers fondly—but she still couldn't place this memory. Her heart broke for little Ollie, who was trudging along next to the cart, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

"But I want to come!" cried Ollie. "I promise I won't get in the way!"

"No, Ollie," Jessica heard her younger self call out sternly. "We don't want you—"

A loud crackle of static cut the memory of Jessica off. Little Ollie's image flickered for a moment, then stabilized.

"They don't want me…" Ollie whispered to himself. He wiped his face with a flannel sleeve, and squared his shoulders resolutely. "I don't need them anyway."

Jessica reached out to the memory of Ollie, but he dissolved into the darkness. She did vaguely recall this memory from her point of view now. She, Dan, and Jacob were hiking into the mountains, looking for a legendary beast called the Multibear. They had left Ollie behind because they knew it would probably be dangerous. Jessica had her rift powers, Dan had his brawn, and Jacob was the brains of their operation—but Ollie was small, and not especially gifted or strong.

"We don't want you to get hurt," murmured Jessica. That's what she had called out. Pike's memory had her simply saying "We don't want you."

"Ollie, that's not the way it happened," Jessica whispered. She wondered what could have caused him to remember their interaction differently. Before she had much time to ponder, however, the cart picked up speed, and began weaving through the thick tangle of withered trees.

Images from Pike's past wavered to life in the darkness, only to quickly dissolve back into nothing. Ollie being picked on by Dan. Ollie falling out of the treehouse and breaking his arm. Jess and Dan holding hands, and turning their backs to Ollie. Jacob sneering at Ollie in disdain, and pushing him aside.

"Where are the happy memories, Pike?" whispered Jessica, as she blinked back tears. Scene after scene flashed by, all of them grim, lonely, or painful. "We were best friends! Where are those memories?"

The cart suddenly veered into a dark tunnel, which turned into a cave. A cave Jessica knew well. It was lit by a soft, silver-blue glow, which came from the points of starlight on the constellations covering the ceiling and walls. This was the cave where Jessica had earned the title of Star Child. The Scorpius birthmark on her back began to itch.

Out of the gloom appeared a single figure, its back turned to Jessica. The cart came to a halt, so she climbed out, and stepped closer to the figure.

It was Ollie, when he was around fourteen years old—about the time Jessica had started dating Dan. But what was he doing in the Star Cave, when she'd never even told him how to find it? As if to answer her, young Ollie began to shout.

"I know you're here, you floaty, ethereal shits! Come out and talk to me!" he screamed, his hoarse voice echoing dramatically against the cave walls.

The First Star Child appeared, as floaty and ethereal as Ollie had described. Jessica was shocked. The First Star Child didn't appear for just anybody.

"You have no place here," said the Star Child, sounding irritated. "Why have you screamed at us for the last hour? It is most rude."

Ollie raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "No, what's rude is letting someone try to get your attention for an hour, instead of appearing the first time they asked."

"If you've come to lecture me on my manners, young man, I'm afraid you're wasting your time," said the Star Child, his tone dismissive. "I've been around for millennia. I'm rather set in my ways."

Ollie waved a hand. "Whatever. I came here because I want you to let Jess go."

Jessica swallowed against the lump quickly forming in her throat, and stepped closer, so she could better see young Ollie's face. What did he mean by "let Jess go"?

"I am sorry, I do not understand what you mean," said the Star Child, echoing Jessica's question.

Ollie rolled his eyes. "Let her _go_. As in, free her from her obligations as a Star Child."

"Young man," the First Star Child intoned firmly, "being Star Child is not merely Jessica's obligation. It is her Destiny. She has accepted it. It cannot be undone."

"Bullshit," spat Ollie. "Before Jess accepted her 'Destiny,' she didn't—couldn't use magic. She had no access to the rift. Just cut off her access to the rift."

The First Star Child narrowed his eyes at Ollie. "Why are you so interested in the current Star Child's Destiny—or lack thereof?"

Jessica arched an eyebrow, waiting for Ollie's answer.

"Be-because," Ollie stuttered, which was completely unlike him. The next part came out in a rush, like a dam in his mind broke and he couldn't stop the words from spilling out.

"Because she's my best friend, and now that she's Star Child bad things keep happening to her, or coming for her, and she keeps getting hurt, and I love her, and she's acting different since she became Star Child and I think the power of the rift is starting to change her, and I don't want to lose her, and if you _have_ to have a Star Child, I volunteer, because I want Jess safe."

Jessica stared at the fourteen-year-old Oliver Corduroy in shock, tears sliding down her cheeks. He had noticed, from nearly the beginning, that the power of the rift was changing her, and he had volunteered to take her mantle, even knowing how dangerous it was— _especially_ knowing how dangerous it was.

"Oh, Ollie," Jessica whispered, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand, "why did you never tell me about this?"

The First Star Child's reaction was decidedly different than Jessica's. He laughed.

" _You_ , a Star Child, little fish? What makes you think you'd be an even _remotely_ qualified candidate to replace someone with a Destiny?"

Ollie clenched his fists, his ears red. "I learn quickly," he said. "I'm fast, and I'm stronger than I look. I—"

The First Star Child cut him off. "Enough. It was a rhetorical question. I know you and your friends well, due to your constant proximity to the current Star Child. Young Jessica can draw power from the rift, and manipulate that power for use as magic. Your brother is strong and imposing. The boy that accompanies you during the summer, he is clearly a brilliant strategist and tactician. Tell me, young man, what do you bring to the table when you tag along with them? Because from my point of view, you appear as nothing to them but a liability."

Tears of anger welled up in Ollie's eyes. Voice shaking, he uttered "So that's a no, then?"

"Unequivocally, yes—that is a no," said the First Star Child firmly. "Even _if_ I possessed the ability to transfer Jessica's Star Child status to you, I wouldn't. You are simply not Star Child material."

Ollie was visibly trembling now. "You know what?" he said quietly. "Fuck your Destiny, and fuck you. If you won't help me, I'll figure out a way to protect Jess and others like her on my own."

Ollie turned on his heel and headed toward the mouth of the cave.

The First Star Child rubbed his chin, and watched with interest as Ollie left.

"You do that, little fish."

Jessica wanted to see more, but as soon as Ollie exited the cave, the scene dissolved, and she was once again alone in the dark and twisted forest of Pike's memory. She sank down in the waiting cart, her head in her hands. All that training, all that studying that Ollie did—he wasn't just trying to fit in better with Jacob and Dan. He'd been doing it because he wanted to protect her.

Why, then, now that Jessica was not longer corrupted by the rift, did Pike seem to want nothing to do with her?

/

The Pines' living room was silent, and all eyes were on Aurora. Well, the eyes of those who were conscious, that is.

"What do you mean we're not alone?" hissed Lexie. She jumped up from the sofa, landing silently on the balls of her feet, to stand protectively in front of Gideon. He reached forward and grabbed her hand.

Pacifica cradled Mabel closer. "Who's here?"

Aurora blinked slowly, and took a deep breath. "They're gone."

"Aurora, what the hell?" asked Gideon angrily. He pulled Lexie back down to sit beside him.

"I apologize—I just… there _was_ another presence with us, if only for a moment," Aurora said, looking around the room in confusion.

"Was it one of them?" asked Pacifica, indicating with a hand to their unconscious friends on the floor.

"No," said Aurora shaking her head. "I would have recognized any of them instantly. This was… I'm not even sure it was a _person_. It felt ancient, and…not evil…but imposing? Definitely powerful."

"Oh, good," said Lexie. "Ancient and powerful. That's the _best_ kind of uninvited guest."

"What do think it was here for?" asked Pacifica. "I mean, ancient, powerful…presences… don't just 'pop around for a quick visit,' do they?"

"They do not," confirmed Aurora. "They were not here long, so I doubt they were here to spy on us. Maybe they were after something?"

Gideon scoffed. "Sorry, but what would the Pines have that an ancient, powerful whatsits would be interested in? I mean, Ford has some cool stuff stored in the basement, but nothing mind-blowing."

"Um, shit," said Lexie suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at her questioningly.

"I think I know what they took… unless anyone else has moved Pike's failsafe chest in the last two minutes?"

All eyes went to the corner of the room where the chest had been placed when it was apparent that they couldn't use the weapon it contained. The chest was indeed missing.

"But the weapon, club thing, it was a dud, wasn't it?" asked Pacifica.

Aurora looked at her feet. "Just because we couldn't detect its magic, or use it as it was meant to be used, does not mean that it was a 'dud,'" she said quietly. "And if something ancient and powerful has spirited it away… that does not bode well."

Lexie collapsed into a fit of hysterical giggles.

"You okay, sugar?" asked Gideon with concern, as he rubbed her back gently.

Lexie chortled with her face in her hands. "It's just (hehehe!) fuck this week."

/

The early morning sun cast the grim scene in a warm light, like a beautifully composed Renaissance painting of a saint being martyred: Pike lay splayed, unconscious, in the middle of the street. A few feet away from him was the body of the Primordial vampire, slowly dissolving into black ash. Between them there sat an ancient, carved chest, and on top of the chest sat a small blonde child with bright blue eyes.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually killed the Primordial," said the First Good. "Maybe we were wrong about you. The Powers have been lying to you this whole time, you know. Well, I guess Darquesse and I have too, by omission. Lillith doesn't know, she just has her stupid vendetta against you because you burned her alive with holy fire. (That was pretty great, by the way). But now you've killed the Primordial, and you didn't even have this with you."

She patted the lid of the chest and continued.

"You don't even know what this is—I'm kind of surprised you haven't figured it out. But I guess you wouldn't have any reason to suspect, because of the bullshit the Powers are always feeding you about how you don't have a Destiny."

She slid off the chest, and knelt down so that she could whisper in the still-unconscious Pike's ear.

"You do have a Destiny, Pike, and I think it's time you knew about it."

/

The door was actively crumbling now, the cracks in it rusting rapidly, raining red dust down upon Pike, who now knelt, exhausted, but still leaning back against the door, trying desperately to brace it against the inevitable. He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut, as the pounding against the door shook the very foundations of his mind. It was because his eyes were closed that he didn't see the four carts and their passengers roll up to him.

"Dad?" cried Wendy, scrambling to exit her cart.

Pike's eyes flew open. "Wendy? What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed. Then he saw the three others with Wendy. "What are…all of you…doing here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Jessica stepped forward, and took a knee next to Pike, placing a hand on his arm. "Your daughter wanted to get to know you—the real you—before…well, you know."

Pike glanced at Wendy, then looked down, biting his bottom lip.

"What's behind the door?" asked Mabel warily, as a shower of rust flakes rained down on the group, due to the relentless pounding. "Is it dangerous?"

"It's in his head, Mabes," said Dipper. "It can't hurt us."

"Can it hurt him, though?" asked Wendy. She nudged Pike with the toe of her boot. "Can it hurt you, dad? What you're trying to keep locked away?"

Pike, usually strong and stoic, looked from his daughter to her mother, and a single tear, tinted red with iron oxide, slid down his cheek.

"I…I'm not entirely sure," he said, his voice drained of any emotion. "I don't remember exactly. Just that I have to protect…keep safe…"

"Protect what?" asked Dipper, placing his palm against the door. "Keep safe _what_?"

"Yeah," added Mabel. "Are you protecting whatever's back there, or everyone else _from_ it?"

Pike didn't answer. He leaned his head back against the door, and let the thumping jostle his whole body.

"Dad?" said Wendy quietly, kneeling next to her mom and Pike. "Whatever's back there… keeping it locked away has damn near killed you. Open the door, now, while we're here with you. We'll help you fight or protect. Whatever's behind the door, we'll face it together."

"What if it hurts—" Pike's voice broke, and he held his head in his hands.

"It will be okay, Pike," said Jessica. She took one of his hands, and pulled it away from his face, now streaked with red tears. "Wendy's right—we're here for you. Open it."

Pike took a deep breath, and nodded once. The pounding immediately ceased. Jessica and Wendy helped him to his feet. Shoulders sagging, completely beaten, he turned towards the door. He placed his hand on the last, badly corroded padlock, and it crumbled at his touch. He grabbed the handle, and heaved a sigh.

"Gods help me," he murmured.

And he opened the door.

/

The Powers That Be were never exactly a cheerful lot, and they were becoming exceedingly irritated with the antics of Lillith, the First Good, and the First Evil.

"What in all the dimensions does Nimueh think she's _doing_?" spat the female voice of one of the hooded figures seated around the Stone Table in the forest near Gravity Falls, their temporary base of operations.

"She's going to ruin _everything_!" added a youngish male hooded figure.

"He was able to kill the Primordial vampire," chirped another female. "I can't believe Lillith and Darquesse thought _that_ was a good idea. Do you think Lillith suspects what Pike is? Or that maybe Darquesse blabbed to her?"

"This is indeed troubling," said the older male Power. "Pike is circling death's door, and the children have had ample time to satisfy their curiosity about him. To prevent Nimueh from destroying everything, we must move, now."

/

As the door creaked open, Pike and his companions had to throw up their arms to shield their eyes from the blinding light that poured out. The walked forward, blinking rapidly. Before the spots were gone from their eyes, they felt a warm breeze caress their skin, and ruffle their hair. The smell of a cookout wafted past.

Everyone looked around in confusion. It was the forest, not dark and withered as it had been in the rest of his mindscape, but bright, vibrant, and full of life. Someone was strumming a simple melody on an acoustic guitar in the distance. _This_ was what Pike had been holding back?

"Pike, what—" began Dipper, but he stopped, because his vision began to fade. He heard a familiar voice whispering urgently in his head: Aurora.

"Dipper, wake up! We need you!"

Before his vision faded completely, he saw confused looks cross Mabel and Wendy's faces as well.

Jessica grabbed Pike's hand and held on tightly, as the three teens dissolved into the air, having been brought back into reality. Jessica heard the buzz of a whisper, but she shook her head and ignored it.

Pike didn't notice the teens had vanished until the tug of Jessica's hand brought him out of his daze.

"It's okay, Pike," said Jessica. "I'm still here with you."

"This is what I've been keeping locked away?" Pike asked, mostly to himself. "I have to protect…what… the forest…in my mind?"

"Let's walk further in," suggested Jessica, pulling him forward. "It will hopefully make more sense then."

"Maybe…go toward where the light is the brightest, back there beyond that stand of trees?" said Pike. "I think that's where the music is coming from."

Jessica nodded, and they set off, still hand in hand.

They followed the light and the cheerful guitar music to a small clearing. A figure was sitting on a fallen log with its back to them, strumming the guitar and humming.

As they approached the figure, it sat the guitar down, stood, and turned to face them.

Jessica gasped.

Oliver Corduroy smiled. "Hey Pike. It's been a long time."

/

Dipper blinked, and sat up, his neck and back stiff from laying on the floor. Mabel yawned and nuzzled Pacifica's neck sleepily. Wendy shot bolt upright, eyes wide.

"Aurora, what the hell?" she said angrily. "We weren't done in there!"

"Sorry," apologized Aurora, "but…" She nodded toward the door.

The Power who had visited them earlier stood in front of the door, leaning on his cane. He smiled at the group blandly.

"Did you have a good nap?" he asked, not wanting an answer. "Sorry to cut your trip to la-la land short, kiddos, but time's up for Pike. You have one hour to get him to the Stone Table in the forest, or we will wreak havoc on your quaint little town. What we Powers are capable of will make what that insane little triangle did seem like child's play, so I suggest you hurry. The clock is ticking."

Without waiting for a response from the group, the Power vanished.

"That guy makes me feel like stabbing things," said Lexie. "And when I say things, I mean him. Anyone else feeling stabby?"

"Maybe not stabby, sugar, but I'd sure like to try out that diabolical 'rend' spell on him… tear him to pieces…" said Gideon.

"What do we do?" asked Aurora.

"Well we're sure as hell not delivering my dad to those bastards, right mom?" said Wendy. It was then that everyone noticed that Jessica was still unconscious.

"Why didn't you wake her up?" asked Dipper.

"I tried," said Aurora, shrugging. "She kind of grunted at me, but that was it."

"I think Pike still needed her," said Mabel. "We found him protecting…something…in his mind, and we were just about to find out what it was. She probably stayed to help him."

"Well, seriously then, what should we do?" asked Pacifica. "I mean, we can't let them destroy the town."

"We are _not_ handing my dad over to those monsters!" cried Wendy, jumping to her feet.

"Easy there, Lumberjane," said Pacifica, holding up her hands. "No one said we were."

"Oh, I thought when you said…" Wendy mumbled, and then trailed off.

"Look," said Dipper. "I'm still weak, but I'm doing better—and I can control the rift. Lexie's a werewolf. Aurora's a _dragon_. Gideon can do some pretty badass magic (if you're feeling up to it, bud). Wendy, you wield a crossbow and axe lie a pro. Mabel and Pacifica, you… can also do stuff."

"Gee, thanks, bro-bro," muttered Mabel.

"Point is," continued Dipper, "the Powers underestimate us. They see us as Pike's students, and don't think we're capable of much without him. I say we show them exactly what we're capable of. Let's go to the Stone Table by ourselves. No Pike, no Jessica. Let's kick their asses."

Lexie shivered, and shook her head. "Oooh, I'm all tingly now. Let's do it."

"I'm in," said Gideon. "Thanks to my dragon blood transfusion, I'm good to go."

"Mabel and I can gather weapons and first-aid supplies, and provide support," suggested Pacifica.

"I haven't breathed fire in awhile," said Aurora. "I guess now would be a good time."

Everyone turned to look at Wendy with expectation.

"You guys fucking rock," said Wendy with a wide grin. "Let's go kick some ass."

/

In the depths of the forest, Lillith, still in the form of a lithe, blonde cheerleader, pouted at the Powers. Darquesse was at her side, the First Evil's oozing form constantly shifting.

"What aren't you telling me?" asked Lillith. "You said that fucker doesn't have a Destiny, but he killed the _father of all vampires_. That's not possible. It's just not. He's weak from the fight now, at least. I think it's time I slit the bastard's throat."

"No," said the elderly gentleman Power, firmly. "As you said, he is weak—he is not an issue at the moment. You will do what you are told, when you are told. And right now, you are being told to stand down."

Lillith opened her mouth to argue, but the Power snapped his fingers, and suddenly she had no voice. The Powers That Be chuckled amongst themselves as hell queen screamed at them silently.

"Now, Darquesse, we are very put out with you for helping Lillith resurrect the Primordial. If you want to get back into our good graces, we require you to find your sister at once, and bring her to us."

Darquesse knew it wasn't a good time to backtalk. She nodded, and slipped off into the darkness of the forest, in search of Nimueh.

/

Jessica stared at Ollie openmouthed. She turned back to look at Pike, and then back again to Ollie.

"You… you don't look like a memory," she observed. He looked like Pike, except happy. There were no grim lines around his mouth and eyes, no streaks of gray in his brown hair. He had an easy smile, and a relaxed demeanor.

"Jess, I've missed you so much," said Ollie. He made a move as if to hug her, and then thought better of it.

Pike crossed his arms, and clenched his jaw. "You're what I've been protecting." It was a statement more than a question.

Ollie nodded. "And I thank you, but I'm ready to come out now. I have been for awhile."

Jessica shifted her glance back and forth between Ollie and Pike again, before saying "Explain, please?"

"Pike is me, and I am him," said Ollie. "He was born out of things that I couldn't handle, when we were young, around the time you became Star Child. Things that hurt me, physically or mentally—Pike dealt with them. I always was a lover, not a fighter. But when you got your rift powers, you were constantly in danger, so I had to become a fighter. I wanted to protect you, and to not be just a liability to you, Dan, and Jacob when we went on adventures. So I tucked Ollie away in the back of my mind, to keep the soft little cinnamon roll safe, while Pike did the dirty work.

"When things calmed down I always came back out to play. But as we got older, and the rift slowly corrupted you, well, Pike had to take the helm a lot more often. And then, you and Dan… I couldn't care. It hurt too much. So Pike handled that, too. Pike always willingly let me take back over when it was safe. It worked pretty well—until your wedding day.

"When you used your magic to seduce me, that was, well, _me_. I'd always loved you, Jess. I wouldn't have—I didn't want to hurt Dan—but your magic…and everything was hazy, and I couldn't tell right from wrong, except that being with you was _right_. Afterwards, when the magic wore off and I realized what I'd done, Pike took over. He was so _angry_ with you, because your magic had kept him at bay, and he couldn't stop you from hurting me.

I guess it was Pike's anger that made you realize that seducing me wouldn't keep me in Gravity Falls, so you tried to wipe my memory. As you know, it didn't really work—except for one thing. Pike forgot about me. He knew he had to protect what was behind the door at all costs, but he didn't know what he was protecting."

"I've been able to slip through the cracks a few times—that morning I made you breakfast… but then Wendy overheard that I was her dad, and I lost my composure, so Pike leapt back into the cockpit."

"Oh shit, that makes sense," said Pike. "I felt like I had blacked out for that… all I remembered was Wendy looking at me and saying 'Dad,' and I noped out of there. I had no idea what had happened."

Jessica had listened to Ollie's entire monologue in shock. And then to find out he _had_ loved her. It was almost too much. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she strode toward Ollie, arms outstretched. He met her halfway, and held her while she wept.

"I'm so sorry, Ollie, I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed into his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. "I forgave you a long time ago, Jessie," he murmured.

Jessica opened her mouth to say more, but her vision started to darken. She faded away, leaving Ollie empty-armed.

"She must have woken up," said Pike.

Ollie nodded. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and gave Pike a sad smile.

"Listen, Pike, our time is almost up. We need to talk."

/

Jessica gasped and sat up, sniffling. She held her head in her hands, as she tried to process what she had just found out about Pike, or rather, Ollie. It was a moment before she remembered where she was—and realized that it was entirely too quiet.

She whipped her head around, and saw that she was alone. The Pines' living room was empty.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," she muttered, as she grabbed the side of the sofa and pulled herself up off the floor. Unsure of what to do, other than drive around town searching for the kids, she made her way toward the door, stepping more heavily than she intended. One of her legs had fallen asleep while she was unconscious.

As she grabbed the doorknob, she noticed it—a small note, hastily scrawled in Wendy's handwriting, taped to the door.

 _Mom –Powers going to destroy town if we don't give them Pike at Stone Table. Going there without him. Have to protect Dad and town. Love you. –Wendy_

Jessica felt the blood drain from her face, and the bile rise in her stomach. She threw the door open, and raced toward the woods, in the direction of the Stone Table.

/

Before the group had set off toward the Stone Table, Gideon had worked a temporary healing on Dipper that gave him back his energy and strength—for a bit. Because the damage to Dipper's body was from pure rift energy, it would take time and rest for him to fully heal—but time and rest were currently unobtainable, thus, the spell. He and Wendy led their friends into the forest at a full sprint.

The group made record time getting to the Stone Table. They stopped just outside the clearing, to catch their breath and try and form some kind of plan.

"It occurs to me," gasped Lexie, holding a stitch in her side, "that we probably should have had some kind of plan in place before running all the way here."

Mabel, bent nearly in half, hands on her knees as she panted, grunted in agreement. She and Pacifica both wore heavy backpacks full of whatever weaponry they could find.

"Y'all mind if I work a little magic on you?" asked Gideon, who was only slightly pink. "It's a nifty little spell that re-oxygenates your blood and gives you a jolt of energy. Kind of a scaled down version of what I did to Dipper."

Indeed, besides Gideon, Dipper was the only one in the group who was neither winded, nor sweating.

"It's good stuff," encouraged Dipper, as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Yes, please," groaned Lexie.

Gideon glanced at his friends, making sure that everyone made eye contact with him and at least nodded their consent. Satisfied that he wasn't going to magic anyone against their will, Gideon closed his eyes, and held his hands in front of his chest, palms flat together. He murmured an incantation under his breath, and his familiar rose-colored magic flared at his fingertips. There were sparks of golden light in the aura of the magic, and when he touched each of his friends on the forehead, golden sparks were absorbed by their skin.

By the time Gideon was done working his spell, everyone was once again breathing normally, and Mabel no longer looked like she was going to puke.

Dipper opened his mouth, ready to discuss a plan of attack, when he was cut off by someone slow-clapping.

The blonde cheerleader—the one the entire group had seen killed, quite recently, in this very clearing, stood at the edge of the forest, smirking at them. Her eyes were glowing a deep red. She ironically jumped in the air with a fist held high as they stared at her in disbelief.

"Neat little magic trick, Whitey!" she said, with a cheeky grin. "I see Red's daddy isn't with you. That's too bad. I was looking forward to killing him." She narrowed her eyes. "I guess I'll just have to settle for killing all of you, instead." Seemingly from out of nowhere she produced a matching pair of large, black daggers.

She began to run at them, and the group scattered.

"Shit!" cried Lexie gruffly, already one-quarter transformed into a wolf. "Dipper, plan?"

"Uh, don't die?" he called back.

"Don't die isn't a plan!" yelled Pacifica angrily, as she dodged behind a tree, pulling Mabel along with her.

"I kind of like his plan," hollered Wendy, as she crouched behind a moss-covered boulder, loading a bolt into her crossbow.

"It _is_ nice and simple," agreed Aurora, from her perch in the lower branches of a tree.

"I, for one, intend to follow his plan," called Gideon, from behind a warding wall of rose-colored, golden-flecked magic.

Wendy popped up from behind her boulder, looking to target the cheerleader, and blinked in confusion.

"Uh, guys? She's gone," said Wendy. She scratched the back of her head, and let the hand holding the crossbow drop to her side.

"Boo!" cried the cheerleader, directly into Wendy's ear. She grabbed Wendy in a chokehold. "No daggers for you, honey. I want the tactile pleasure of killing _you_ with my bare hands."

Wendy let out a strangled scream, and dropped the crossbow. She clawed frantically at the arm around her throat, and as her vision went black, she saw her friends racing toward her, mouths open. She couldn't hear their screams of fury, just a high-pitched ringing in her ears.

"LILLTH!"

Wendy collapsed to the ground, as the cheerleader suddenly disappeared from behind her.

Dipper got to Wendy first, and sank to the forest floor, cradling her in his arms. She was pale, but breathing. Gideon was right behind Dipper, healing spell at the ready. He touched the bruise on Wendy's throat, and with a bright flash of gold from the tips of his fingers, her eyelids fluttered.

"Are you okay, Wen?" whispered Dipper.

"Not really, but I don't think I have time to be traumatized right now," murmured Wendy. She saw her crossbow lying next to her, and picked it up. "Who the hell _is_ that bitch? I thought she was dead!"

Lexie, fully in werewolf form, let out a low growl, and the rest of the group turned to see the elderly gentleman Power walk toward them from the clearing. Dipper helped Wendy up, and everyone stared at the Power, their bodies tense, weapons at the ready.

"Oh, none of that, children," said the Power, sounding like an amused grandfather. "I do apologize for my…ahem… 'colleague' mistreating you like that. Rest assured, she will be dealt with. Please, join us at the table. We would like to speak with you." He waved a hand, and turned to walk back into the clearing.

Dipper looked at his friends, his gaze lingering on Wendy.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

Wendy touched her throat, and swallowed. "I guess we go see what they have to say. But go in ready for a fight."

Dipper nodded, and led the way out of the trees, toward the Stone Table. The cheerleader was there, leaning against it and sulking. The elderly gentleman was the only Power dressed in regular clothes. He and the rest of the Powers, all hooded, sat in large, throne-like chairs on the side of the table opposite the teens. Wolf-Lexie sniffed the air and growled, her yellow eyes narrowing. Their smell was not of this world, and she didn't like it.

The elderly Power let his eyes linger on each person (and wolf) as they walked forward. When the group stopped in front of the table, he grinned at them.

"Well, well," he chuckled. "You all really are a motley crew, aren't you?"

"Did he just call us an eighties hair band?" whispered Mabel. Pacifica elbowed her girlfriend gently, the corners of her mouth turning up almost imperceptibly. Lexie looked at Mabel and gave her a quiet woof.

If the Power had heard Mabel, he didn't acknowledge it.

"You are extremely loyal to Pike, I see," continued the Power. "Loyalty is a wonderful quality—as long as your loyalty is directed at the right party."

Dipper raised an eyebrow at the Power. "Yeah, we're loyal to Pike. He's our mentor, but more importantly, our friend—not to mention Wendy's dad. We're not going to hand him over to you so that you can kill him."

"That is what we expected," said the Power. The hooded figures around him nodded and murmured in agreement. "That is why we have decided to offer you a proposition."

Wendy grabbed Dipper's hand. She was shaking. The rest of the group looked around at each other nervously.

"We will agree to let Pike live," said the Power mildly, "if you—all of you—will work for The Powers That Be."

/

It didn't take Darquesse long to find her sister. Nimueh was sitting on top of an intricately carved wooden chest, in the middle of a road, between a pile of greasy, black ash, and an unconscious Pike. The First Good was talking to Pike as if he could hear her.

"Hey goody-two-shoes," sneered Darquesse, as she approached Nimueh from behind. "You know he's out for the count, right? What are you saying to him?"

Nimueh turned her piercing blue eyes toward her sister. "He needs to know he's been lied to," she said bluntly.

"Excuse me?" asked the First Evil, her constantly shifting facial features twisted in disgust. "What the hell for?"

"We shouldn't have tried to influence him the way we did. We manipulated him. The Powers manipulated him," said Nimueh. "He's been manipulated and lied to for pretty much his entire life."

Darquesse rolled her eyes and scoffed. "So what?"

"Sister, he has come this far without knowing the truth—about who he is and what he is capable of," said Nimueh earnestly. "Everything he has accomplished, he has done the hard way. Yes, he has a Destiny, but it isn't in play if he doesn't know about it, and hasn't accepted it. This has all been him."

Nimueh gestured to the pile of black ash. "Without his Destiny—without this," she said, patting the chest, "he killed the Primordial. The _Father of all Vampires_. And Pike— _just_ Pike—killed him."

"I still fail to see your point," said Darquesse, folding her arms over her chest. "He's powerful. Big whoop."

Nimueh frowned at her sister. "I don't suppose you'd be able to see it my way, because you're the First Evil…and a gigantic bitch. But I feel guilt. I have coveted his power, and tried to sway his will. He is strong, but he will die soon." She looked down at Pike's bloodstained body, shaking her head sadly. "I don't want him to die without knowing the truth. He should know that his life wasn't wasted."

/

Pike sat on the fallen log in his cheerful, mindscape, and scuffed the dirt with his boot.

"If you're going to tell me about how I'm—we're—supposed to die soon, I've already gotten the memo," he said irritably.

"Oh, no, even though I've been locked away, I've still seen and heard everything you have," said Ollie. "So I know what you know. We're toast."

A soft voice murmured something, and Pike looked around, confused. "Did you hear that?"

Ollie's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, I did… that sounded like…"

A much harsher disembodied voice hissed something like "So what?"

Pike's face fell. "That's Darquesse. So the other is probably Nimueh. But I'm unconscious… how can I hear them?"

Ollie flapped a hand at Pike and shushed him. The voices were fading in and out like a talk show on a badly tuned radio with a broken antenna.

"Yes, he has a Destiny—isn't in play—doesn't know about it—hasn't accepted…" Nimueh's words were garbled, but their meaning was plain enough.

Pike stood up off the log, and turned to face Ollie, frowning. "What the hell was that about? They can't've be talking about me—us."

"Actually, they were," said Ollie. He was as relaxed as Pike was tense. "While I've been locked in here, I've had a lot of time to walk through old memories and process them thoroughly. There was one I was particularly intrigued with, and what the First Good just said confirms my theory."

Pike huffed. "Can you just spare me the bullshit and tell me what the hell you're on about?"

Ollie nodded. "Back when I was really young, around four, I think, (I know it was before I needed you), there was an outbreak of head lice at my preschool. To get rid of the lice, dad shaved my head. I didn't think anything of it at the time, and eventually forgot about it… but Dan teased me about the funny birthmark on the back of my head."

Ollie turned his back to Pike, and lifted the hair at the nape of his neck.

Pike's face lost all color, and he dropped back down onto the log with a thump.T

"That…that's not fucking possible."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 26: Swan Song

/

One more. Just one more til the end.

 **SHOUTOUTS!**

 **TGGDSD, Ghost Man, LimboticMistisos, fereality, NecroticHate, scroghmc. Thanks so much you awesome peoples for leaving me a review I love em. To everybody that Fav/Followed, Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the trip.**

 **ChaoticDurdle. Seriously. This Lady has mad mad talent. She really should be published, cause like wow! Thanks Babe, you da best.**

 **/**

 **Peace**


	26. Swan Song

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

 **Swan Song**

"Over and out", he sighed

"Seems I've run out of time

Please tell my wife I love her more than life itself"

"Over and out", she sang

As the telephone rang

"There's no pain, no answering, no more, no"

So

Run for cover and you'll find us there

We'll take out the anguish, make it disappear

With hand grenades and napalm flames, I'm leaving you tonight.

-Alkaline Trio, Over and Out

A chill breeze swept through the forest, whistling through the treetops, making the pine needles shiver. Dipper, Wendy, Mabel, Aurora, Pacifica, Gideon and Lexie stood at the stone table, before the Powers That Be. They were a defiant mix of clenched fists, crossed arms, and narrowed eyes. Wendy grasped Dipper's hand with white knuckles.

"So what will it be?" asked the elderly male Power. "The fate of Pike is in your hands. Will you work for the Powers That Be, or will you allow him to die?"

"What?!" screeched Lillith, from the edge of the clearing. She marched toward the stone table, and in her anger she slipped back into her true form, her red eyes glowing like embers. She spread her wings wide as she confronted the Powers. "That was not part of the plan! The plan has always been 'Pike dies.' I demand his blood!"

The elder Power rolled his eyes. "Plans change, my dear. Now cease your caterwauling or you will be dismissed."

"No!" screamed Lillith. "Pike has to die! Look at what that sanctimonious prick did to me!" She gestured to the disfiguring scars covering her body. "I will not let this stand! I-"

Lillith's rant was abruptly cut off as the elder Power flapped a hand in her direction, and she disappeared. "I did warn her," he said, with a shrug. "I apologize for her lack of decorum. Now, your answer, please. Will you work for us, or does Pike die?"

/

The cheerful sunshine in his mindscape seemed to mock Pike, as he sat on a log, his head in his hands. "No, you're wrong. I'm-we aren't star child material. It isn't possible." He raised his head and looked at Ollie. "Remember when we went to talk to the First Star Child, to try and convince him to let Jess go, and have us take her place as the star child? And he laughed and pretty much told us to GTFO?"

Ollie nodded. "I remember. That doesn't change the fact that we have a birthmark that looks exactly like Orion's Belt. I don't know what to tell you, to be honest. But I think the First Good and First Evil know. Probably why they were both so keen to have us on their respective teams. They're outside of our mindscape, and so are our answers. We need to wake up."

Pike stood up and crossed his arms. "I have questions, first."

Ollie cocked an eyebrow and nodded. "Fair enough. What do you want to know?"

Pike took a deep breath, and blew it out. "If you're Ollie, who am I really? How do I exist?"

Ollie grinned. "You are me. I am you. We're two parts of the same person. I'm the soft, fluffy cinnamon roll, and you're the foul-mouthed badass with a bit of a drinking problem."

Pike stared at Ollie blankly. "So-how come we're separate, then? Aren't most people... one...person?"

"Everyone has different sides of their personality that come out at different times," explained Ollie. "I just figured out how to partition most of myself away, because deep down I'm a lover, not a fighter. I needed you to take care of the bad stuff. It was all too much for me."

"You sound like a pussy," remarked Pike, with a grin.

Ollie shrugged. "You're not wrong. That's why I needed you."

"So how did I happen?" asked Pike. He began to pace around the fallen log. "And when?"

"Well, once upon a time there was a scared little boy who needed to save his friends from their nightmares."

"Our first encounter with the Sandman?" asked Pike.

Ollie nodded. "I was terrified. Everyone was trapped, and I was the last one awake. Or at least I thought I was. I realized I was dreaming when I bumped into this badass kid who looked exactly like me, and who was raring to take on the Sandman by himself."

"We met in a dream?"

"Bingo," said Ollie, shooting a finger gun at Pike. "And you know how when you're dreaming, once you're aware it's a dream, you can manipulate it however you want? Well, I built myself a nice safe fortress, and hid snug in all my good memories, while I let you handle the monster. When you were done, we had a bit of a chat before I woke up. You told me that whenever I needed you to take care of something that I couldn't handle, I just needed to close my eyes, and tuck myself away in my memory fortress again. You'd take care of the hard stuff, and let me back out once it was safe. You said you were a protector."

Pike looked down, and tried to swallow the lump rising in his throat. "So I volunteered to protect you," he said.

"You did," said Ollie, laying a hand on Pike's shoulder. "And you did a good job. The only reason you had to put up with so much for so long is because Jessica's memory wipe spell made you forget me. Even then, you continued to protect me, and everyone we loved. I'm sorry you had to go through so much, thinking you were on your own. We should have gone through everything together."

Pike sniffed and turned away from Ollie. He was supposed to be the badass, not the cry-baby. "So what now, then? Do I just...disappear?"

"No. We are one person, Pike. You won't disappear. We'll be whole again. Any burdens that come our way, we'll share."

Pike turned back to face Ollie. "So you won't retreat to your memory fortress when things get rough?"

Ollie smiled. "I won't. Even though I haven't been running the show, I've been conscious this whole time. I've learned a lot from you, Pike. I think we'll be okay."

Pike chuckled darkly. "Too bad we're set to die any time now."

Ollie sighed. "Yeah, that does suck. But it is what it is. You ready to wake up and interrogate some Firsts?"

Pike nodded. He held out his hand, and Ollie clasped it.

Everything faded to white.

/

Jessica Corduroy ran through the forest at a sprint, desperate to stop Wendy and her friends from doing something irredeemably stupid and getting themselves killed. To try and keep her mind off her burning lungs and the stitch in her side, she tried to process what she had seen in Pike's mindscape. There were two of him. The sweet Ollie she had known growing up had been locked away since-since she...

Tears began to blur Jess's vision, and she blinked rapidly to clear it. Pike hadn't become a permanent fixture until she had attempted to erase Ollie's memory of her seducing him using magic. She had raped Ollie, and then banished him. She really had been a monster.

Jess shook her head. Dwelling on that wasn't going to change anything. She needed to think of Wendy and Dipper and their friends. She was prepared to fight the Powers That Be if necessary, but she hoped it wouldn't be necessary. Before her rift powers had been stripped from her, Jess would have been a force to be reckoned with. With the rift gone, the magic she was capable of was only slightly more powerful than what Gideon was currently capable of. Honestly, he might already be more powerful than her. He was a quick study, and eager to learn.

Jess was busy trying to decide if it would be better to use offensive or defensive magic against the Powers, and she didn't notice the shapely, female leg sticking out from just behind a tree in her path. She tripped over the leg at full speed, and went crashing to the ground, her head smacking an exposed tree root. She didn't allow herself the luxury of passing out. She shot unsteadily back to her feet, and spun around to see who had tripped her. Blood trickled down her forehead and dripped into her eyes. She wiped it away impatiently, and glared at her attacker.

"Hello Jessica," sneered Lillith. "Looks like you took a fall. If you want Pike to kiss your boo-boo you better hurry to him. He's going to be quite dead soon." She cocked her head to the side, her lips twitching upward. "Or maybe you'll be the one who's dead!" She launched herself toward Jess, and nearly tackled her, before Jess managed to throw up a flimsy barrier of pale purple fire.

"Is that the best you can do?" asked Lillith, mockingly. She blew on the barrier, and it flickered to nothingness.

"Stay away from me," shouted Jess. She stumbled back, trying to ignore the dull pounding behind her eyes. Nausea surged, and she tried to swallow against it, but to no avail. She leaned over and vomited.

"Ew," remarked Lillith, stepping back slightly to avoid the splash zone. "Looks you've got a bit of a concussion there, sweet cheeks."

"Back off, bitch." Jess grunted, and held her hands out in front of her, to throw a spell at Lillith. A small, lavender-colored fireball was all she was able to manage. She launched it at the hell queen, and it floated lazily through the air, like it was in slow motion.

Lillith arched an eyebrow at Jess, then turned her attention back to the fireball gently bobbing in her direction. When it had almost reached her nose, she stepped aside. It hit the tree behind her with a soft hiss.

"Oh, weak sauce!" taunted Lillith. "There's not even a scorch mark on the tree. You're making this entirely too easy."

"You-your face...is easy," mumbled Jess. Her vision was becoming increasingly blurred. She blinked to try and clear it, but tears weren't the issue this time.

Lillith scoffed. "Was that supposed to be an insult? I think your precious Pike would be embarrassed for you."

"Fffuckoff," slurred Jess, as she teetered backward.

"Ugh, this isn't even fun, it's just pathetic," whined Lillith. She strode up to Jess, and poked her nose. "Boop!"

Jess's knees buckled, and everything went dark.

/

A stiff wind whipped through the clearing, carrying with it the smell of blood and ash from the recent vampire attack in town. Dipper stared at the ground. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Wendy's hand in his was trembling, and he wasn't sure, but he thought he could feel her pulse in her fingers. It was racing.

"Well?" the elder Power asked again, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Have you an answer?"

Dipper lifted his eyes and glared at the Powers. "My friends and I need to discuss this," he said, with no hint of emotion in his voice. He pulled Wendy by the hand, and motioned to the rest of the group to follow him. They stood about twenty feet from the stone table, facing each other in a circle.

"What is there to discuss?" hissed Lexie, her eyes flashing yellow. "I know he's your dad and all, Wendy, so please don't hate me for saying this-but we can't work for those cuntrags. That's the whole reason they want to kill Pike in the first place: he refused to work for them. He has to have a reason for that. I don't think he would want us to-"

"No," snapped Wendy, cutting her off. "I don't care what he would want. I want my dad alive. I know we're being played, but if it's the only way to save him, I want to do it."

Mabel cleared her throat nervously. "Wendy, you know how we all saw different memories in Pike's mindscape?"

Wendy nodded, her jaw clenched.

"Well, the memory I saw was of Pike confronting the Powers. He apparently used to work for them, but they asked him to do something horrible, and he refused, and vowed to never work for them again."

"What did they ask of him?" asked Dipper. Wendy made a small noise, and he looked at her. She was staring at him with a look of betrayal, her green eyes wide and tear-filled. "I'm not saying we should refuse to work for them, Wen. I just want to know why he refuses."

Mabel took a deep breath. "They asked him to kill a little girl. They called her a 'key,' and said she could potentially destroy the world. He said he refused to kill an innocent child just because she might be used by bad people to do bad things. That's why he won't work for them anymore."

The group was silent. They all stared at Wendy, who was stone-faced.

"That just proves what a good person he is, and why we should save him," said Gideon, breaking the silence. "I mean, come on guys. It's Pike. He's...Pike. The world is a better place with him in it."

"I agree," said Aurora, nodding. "He is more powerful than all of us combined. He has already done so much good-think how much more he could do if he lived a long life."

Lexie shrugged. "Huh. I didn't think of it like that. He is pretty beast. I mean... if we save him, maybe there's a chance he could figure out a way to break our deal with the Powers."

"If anyone on earth could spit in the face of gods, it would be him," agreed Pacifica. "I mean, how many times has he saved your ass, Dipper?"

"An embarrassing amount of times," admitted Dipper. "I... I don't want to force you into this Mabes, but you're the only dissenting opinion now. If we agree to this, it's all of us. I know what you saw in Pike's mindscape was upsetting, but who's to say they'd ever ask us to do anything like that? Maybe that was like a one-off thing."

Mabel crossed her arms and frowned. "I doubt it. But I like Pike too. Even though I think he'll be pissed as hell with us for agreeing to work for the Powers, at least he'll still be around to be pissed." She sighed. "Screw it. I'm in."

Wendy squeaked and launched herself toward Mabel, nearly taking Dipper's twin down with the force of her hug. "Thank you," she said, her voice thick with emotion. She let go of Mabel and glanced around at the rest of her friends. "Thank you all."

"Okay," said Dipper, taking a deep breath. "I guess we should go tell them our answer, then."

They turned back toward the stone table and walked forward. The elder Power nodded to his hooded colleagues, a smug smile on his face.

"Your decision?" he asked, one eyebrow arched.

Dipper took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"Wait!" came a screech from the treeline. Everyone's heads shot toward the sound of the voice. Lillith emerged from the trees, dragging the limp form of Jessica Corduroy behind her by the hair.

Wendy let out a strangled cry. "Mom!"

Lillith favored the Powers with a toothy grin, then turned to the teens. "I have a counter offer," she said, her voice raised over the whistling of the wind. "I get Pike, or mommy dearest dies!"

/

The pavement Oliver was splayed out on felt cold and gritty, and the chill in the air hinted at the coming winter. He opened his eyes, then groaned and shut them again. "I changed my mind. I'd like to crawl back inside my head, please. At least I didn't hurt all over when I was in there. Fuck."

"Talking to yourself, Pike?" a young child's voice piped up.

"Hi Nimueh," said Oliver, without opening his eyes. He flapped a hand in the general direction the voice had come from. "And yeah, I kind of am. You and your sis ruined my me me time, though. I could hear you. Something about me having a Destiny?"

"Your Destiny doesn't matter now," sneered an oily female voice. "You are at death's door."

"Oh, good, Darquesse. You're still here, too," Oliver said his voice falsely bright. He remained laying in the road, eyes shut, limbs splayed out like a rag doll's. "Just kidding. Not good. Kindly explain this Destiny nonsense to me, and then please fuck right off, m'kay?"

"You're awful chipper for someone who's about to die," scoffed Darquesse.

"Call it my gift," Oliver said flippantly. "I laugh in the face of death. Ha! HA! H-OW fuck, my ribs." He finally stirred, placing a hand gingerly on his ribcage. "Hmm. Has it been...raining... by any chance?"

"Uh, no?" said Nimueh. "Why?"

"I was kind of hoping my shirt was soaked with water, but nope!" said Oliver, opening his eyes, and lifting his head slightly off the ground to stare down at his chest. He whistled softly. "Jesus Horatio Christ, that is a metric fuckton of blood."

Nimueh cocked her head to the side. "There's something...different about you," she remarked.

Oliver peered up at her, his brows furrowed. "Can't think of what it might be. Unless-you've never seen me this red before. That's probably-heeey, where'd you get that chest?" He slowly raised himself to a sitting position, wincing as he did.

"I stole it from your daughter and her friends," Nimueh said with a shrug. "I thought you might need it, since it has to do with your Destiny."

Oliver sighed. "Again with the Destiny. Out with it already. I'm a star child, right?" He touched the birthmark on the back of his head.

Darquesse strode over to Oliver, her figure rapidly shifting into various hideous forms as she crouched behind him. She lifted the hair at the nape of Oliver's neck, and he shuddered at her touch.

"Yup, there it is," she purred. She stood and sashayed back to stand next to the chest and her sister. "Orion's belt. Not much to look at, but apparently it's a big deal."

"And why's that?" asked Oliver, crossing his arms over his chest. Upon doing so he grimaced, and mumbled "Wet," before dropping his arms back to his sides.

"No star child has ever been born with that mark before," said Nimueh. "It is unique."

"What, so you're saying there's been Dippers running around here in centuries past?" Oliver raised an eyebrow. "That's weird."

"Dipper, Scorpius, Leo, Taurus, blah blah blah," Darquesse intoned, flapping her hand. "It switches up with each new star child, but it is always one of the same constellations. Until you."

"Okay, so the three dots on the back of my head make me a special snowflake. Got it. What's it got to do with the chest?" asked Oliver.

"When you found it, it called to you, did it not?" asked Nimueh. She patted the chest. "The weapon within is your birthright-it is Orion's weapon. Have you held it before? Felt its power?"

"Honestly, no," said Oliver. "I can feel the power emanating from it without touching it. I wasn't sure what it would do if I picked it up, so I let it be. But I keep it nearby, because I've always had a feeling I would need its power one day."

"That power you feel coming from it?" said Darquesse, sliding her hand over the top of the chest. "That is the power of the rift. Orion's weapon is the rift. This is a physical channel for it. But you won't simply channel the rift into magic as Scorpius did, or manipulate its energy as Dipper does. No. You will control the rift."

Oliver was quiet for a moment. He tapped a finger against his lips, his brow furrowed. "So the reason the Powers wanted to control me so badly-the reason you both tried to convince me to be on team good or team evil... is because if I accept my Destiny as star-child, the rift is my plaything?"

"Not simply that, Pike. Think," said Nimueh, tapping her forehead. "As the master of the rift, you can stop the Powers. You could be a god."

Oliver slowly rose to his feet. He limped over to the chest, and Nimueh hopped off. The padlock was already open.

"My Destiny...is the rift itself," he murmured. He lifted the lid and stared down at the club-like chunk of rock. He could feel the energy coming off of it like waves of heat. "Hunter. Warrior. Reaper. That is who I am meant to be."

"Yes," chorused both the First Good and First Evil.

"You could still join with me," murmured Darquesse, her blood red eyes gleaming as she stared down at the weapon. "Together we'd rule the universe, and you'd truly be the reaper you should have always been."

Nimueh huffed. "Well, my offer still stands then, too. You would be a warrior for righteousness, and a reaper of the wicked," she said, shooting a glance at her sister, and sticking out her tongue. Darquesse simply rolled her eyes.

"No," said Oliver quietly. Still staring at the weapon, he shook his head. "I make my own way. I always have."

"But-" began Darquesse.

"No," Oliver repeated firmly. He looked up at the sisters. "No one should have this kind of power. That's why the two of you were bound so long ago. You held too much power, and abused it. Well I don't want that much power. I chose my destiny a long time ago. I'm not some mystical rift master. I'm the Protector of the Chosen. A guardian. Not a reaper."

"You really are stupid," spat Darquesse. She turned on her heel and disappeared.

Oliver stared down his nose at the childlike Nimueh. "What are you looking at, pipsqueak? You gonna tell me I'm stupid, too?"

Nimueh shook her head. "No. I do not understand why you would not want such awesome power, but it is your choice whether or not to accept your Destiny." She moved to walk away, then hesitated. "Your charges-the Powers have them. In the woods, near the stone table. I doubt you will be of any use to them in your condition, without the aid of the rift... but I thought you'd want to know." She nodded at Oliver a final time, then vanished.

"Fuck beans," mumbled Oliver. He had to get to the kids-to Wendy. He would fight for her until there wasn't an ounce of strength left in his body. Unfortunately, that probably wouldn't be a very long fight.

He leaned over to grab the weapon from the chest, and stumbled, lightheaded. He grasped the weapon, and he felt the energy in it try to push its way into him, but he fought against it.

"Stop it, you," he said to the weapon. He took a deep breath and cracked his neck. "Ugh. This is going to suck. Celeri Itinerantur Wendy."

With a soft pop, he and the weapon in his fist disappeared.

/

Lillith pranced proudly forward, staring straight at Wendy, while dragging Jessica along behind her like a sack of potatoes. Jess was barely conscious, her eyelids fluttering, as blood flowed freely from a wound on her forehead.

"What's it going to be, Red?" Lillith asked, sneering. "Do I kill mommy or daddy?"

"Neither, you psychotic hell bitch!" cried Wendy. Aurora and Lexie had to hold her back from attacking Lillith.

"Wait until she doesn't have your mom by the hair, genius," Lexie hissed in her ear.

Dipper looked to the Powers, hoping they'd intervene. The elder Power watched Lillith with mild interest, cupping his chin in his hand. He noticed Dipper glaring at him.

"I believe you were about to give us an answer," the Power said, his lips flattened across his face in a smug smile.

"Aren't you going to do something about her?" asked Dipper. "When she attacked us earlier you called her off!"

"Well, of course I did. You and your friends are of value to the Powers. However, we couldn't care less about the fate of a fallen star child," he said, as casually as if he was discussing the weather. "We will intervene only when you give us the answer we desire."

Dipper looked at Wendy, still being restrained by Aurora and Lexie. Her eyes were wild, and strands of her long red hair tossed in the wind, and whipped at her face. Her mouth formed a grim line, and she nodded to Dipper.

Dipper turned back to the Powers That Be, and straightened his shoulders. "We-"

Before he could finish, however, Oliver Corduroy suddenly appeared kneeling between the teens and the stone table, covered in dark blood. He was clutching the rocky club that Dipper recognized as having been in the chest. Oliver grinned at the Powers.

"I hear you-oh. One moment," he muttered, holding up a finger. He leaned forward and vomited blood. When he was done he struggled to his feet and nodded at the Powers. "I hear you've been looking for me."

"Dad!" cried Wendy. She began to move toward him, but he looked at her and shook his head pointedly.

"Not now, Pippy," he said apologetically. He held up the club so that the Powers could see it. "This is what you want-what you've always wanted. Well, take it. I'm clearly in no condition to fight you. Granddaddy vamp saw to that. The rift is yours if the kids go free. They were just a means to an end for you anyway, right? Well, here's the end. You don't need the means. It's all yours." He turned his head slightly, and looked pointedly at Dipper. "Pure, concentrated rift."

Oliver tossed the club casually at the Powers, then turned to face Lillith. He held his arms wide. "I'm all yours. Just let Jess go, and you can do what you want with me."

"Fine," said Lillith. She smirked, and lifted the uncomprehending Jess up by her hair. With her wickedly sharp talons she tore a large gouge in Jessica's abdomen, which began pouring blood. Then Lillith tossed her aside, like a toy she was tired of playing with. "Now we can fight."

"NO!" shrieked Wendy, running to her mom.

Oliver looked at Wendy, who was weeping over Jess's prone form. Red hot rage built in his chest, dulling the pain from his earlier injuries. He glared at Lillith from underneath his eyelashes, and smiled.

"Okay, bitch. Round two."

/

Gideon, Lexie, Mabel and Pacifica all rushed to Wendy and Jessica. Wendy was sobbing as she pressed down on the wound, attempting to stanch the flow of blood. Pacifica began rummaging through the supplies in her backpack, and pulled out a towel. She knelt beside Jessica and pushed Wendy's hands away, wincing at the gaping hole in Jessica's side. Mabel pulled Wendy away and attempted to comfort her, while Pacifica covered the gash with the towel, and used her body weight to apply as much pressure as she could to the wound.

Lexie and Gideon knelt by Jess's head. Gideon had his hands on her shoulders, murmuring a healing spell with his eyes shut. His gold-flecked, rose colored magic flowed from his hands and absorbed into Jessica's skin. The shallow cut on her forehead knit shut quickly, but blood continued to well up from the hole in her stomach.

Lexie was concerned about Gideon. He was breathing heavily, his jaw was clenched, and despite the cold wind, he was sweating.

"Gid, what's wrong?" she whispered, placing a hand on his arm. His skin was damp with sweat, and ice cold.

"She's hurt so bad," he answered through gritted teeth. "I don't know if I have enough power to save her. I keep using more and more of my magic, and it just feels like it's sliding off her. I think my own injuries are catching up with me. I don't..." He shuddered. In the back of his mind, he felt something stir-just a flutter. His heart began racing. Whatever it was, it felt like it was waking up. He bit his lip and shook his head, and tried to focus on the healing.

"Gid?" Lexie was beginning to panic. "You really don't look well. Maybe you should slow down."

Gideon shook his head again. "I'm fine-just...just watch my back, please? In case the fight comes our way."

Lexie stood, and placed her hand gently on top of Gideon's head. "You know I've always got your back, Gid."

/

The elder Power grasped Orion's weapon in both hands, a maniacal grin spread across his face. The rest of the robed and hooded Powers crowded around him, murmuring excitedly, and reaching out to touch it. The weapon took on a silver glow that slowly increased in brightness. Strands of rift energy drifted out of it, reaching out to each of the Powers, and coming into contact with their chests. As the Powers began to absorb the rift energy, they too began to glow.

As a silver halo of light formed around the elder Power, he felt the need to pontificate. He looked up, and to his disappointment, only two people were still paying them any attention: Dipper and Aurora. Dipper stood trembling next to Aurora. She reached out to grasp his hand, and gave it a squeeze, as the elder Power began to monologue.

"It is time, my brethren," he said, glancing at his companions. "Long have we lurked in the shadows, never making waves. Our existence has solely been to prevent the balance of the universe from being upset. That time is over. We will shape the universe how we see fit, and-"

"Excuse me," Aurora called out, cutting him off. "Before you get too far ahead of yourselves, I'd like to remind you that the star child will stop you."

The elder Power scoffed. "We are as gods, now, you foolish lizard. We are infinite. One stupid child who plays with magic is not a threat to us."

Aurora shrugged. "Well, I did try to warn you. Go ahead, Dipper. I'm right here."

Dipper smiled at her and squeezed her hand, before stepping forward to address the Powers. "I'm honestly a little disappointed in you. You seemed smarter than this."

Dipper planted his feet firmly, closed his eyes, and spread his arms wide, welcoming the rift into his body. The silver glow that surrounded the Powers began to dim, as tendrils of rift energy eagerly darted toward the star child.

"As I'm sure you're aware," Dipper said nonchalantly, his eyes still closed, "star children are gifted our power from the rift."

The Powers were muttering to each other, and wobbling on their feet. The elder Power had gone from glowing silver, to an ashen gray color. He clenched Orion's weapon, trying to will the rift to obey him.

"What I'm guessing you're not aware of," Dipper continued, "is that I am the first star child with the power to manipulate the rift directly. I am the one with the Destiny here, guys. I was given a choice, and I accepted my role as star child. And I say you can't have the rift." As he absorbed the rift energy, Dipper began to glow brighter than any of the Powers had.

"What?!" cried the elder Power. He dropped Orion's weapon, and stared at his hands in disbelief. They were transparent. The Powers were diminishing, while Dipper was shining like a beacon.

Dipper opened his eyes, which glowed bright silver as he stared at the elder Power. "See, we're all just real sick of your shit. You're being absorbed into the rift. Enjoy the infinite nothing between dimensions, because that's your new home."

As the Powers slowly vanished, Dipper grunted. "'Rora. It's too much. Help."

Aurora took his hand, and began siphoning off the excess energy, letting it disperse back into the rift. Dipper's glow faded slightly, and he sighed with relief.

As the last molecules of the Powers That Be faded from existence, Dipper groaned, and collapsed into Aurora's waiting arms.

/

While Dipper and Aurora were dealing with the Powers, and the others were aiding Jessica, Oliver and Lillith were in the midst of a battle-a battle that Oliver was losing, badly. All his wounds from fighting the vampires and their daddy had opened back up, and were slowly seeping more blood into his already drenched clothes. His ribs ached, his head throbbed, and it hurt to breathe. But he fought on. This was his destiny-he was a protector. He chose it for himself. He knew he was going to die, and although he regretted leaving Wendy and Jess behind, he knew they'd be okay. Corduroy women always were.

Oliver smiled grimly to himself as he attempted to dodge a swipe from Lillith's talons. They grazed him, adding new bright red slashes across his arm.

"What the hell are you smiling about, you pathetic worm?" sneered Lillith. She aimed a kick for his stomach, and he was too slow to move-it sent him to the ground, gasping for air.

"I have to say, this is kind of a let down," scoffed Lillith. She marched up to Oliver, and placed her foot on his chest, pinning him. "It's my fault, really. Bringing granddaddy vamp out to play was probably overkill, huh?"

Oliver wheezed, and tried to push her foot off of him. "It was pretty extra of you. But go big or go home, right?"

Lillith smirked. "Well, I am getting the result I wanted. The 'great' Pike, defeated." She leaned down, until her head was only about a foot from his face. "I have a special place in hell for you," she murmured. "We're going to have so much fun. And by we, I mean me."

"Shit, I don't get to be rid of you even in death?" muttered Oliver. He tried to push her off again, but he was too weakened from blood loss to do much more than nudge her leg. He sighed. He was tired. It was time.

Seeing the resignation in Oliver's eyes, Lillith threw her head back and laughed. She raised her other foot over his head, preparing to stomp it. Oliver closed his eyes.

Thwack.

Oliver's eyes shot back open. That noise wasn't him being curbstomped. He looked up at Lillith, whose eyes were wide in shock. She gasped and stumbled forward, toppling to the ground. Wendy's axe was buried deep in her back.

Wendy strode forward, and with a sickening squelching sound, pulled the axe out of Lillith's back. She kicked her over so that she was facing up. Lillith was still alive. She gasped and attempted to pull herself away from the lumberjane with death in her eyes.

"That was for my dad," said Wendy. She raised her axe again, and looked Lillith in the eye as she sank it into the hell queen's stomach.

"That was for my mom," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "And this-this is from me."

Lillith whimpered and threw her arms up, but Wendy pushed them aside. She raised her axe a final time, and brought it down across Lillith's throat, cutting a clean slice all the way through her neck. Wendy stood over the lifeless demoness, and stared at Lillith's shocked expression, and her wide, glazed eyes. She felt no pity, and no guilt. She spat on the corpse, and then kicked the head away from the body.

"That's my girl," Oliver said quietly, as Wendy made her way over to him. The hard expression she wore for Lillith immediately softened when she looked at her dad. Tears filled her eyes. By the extent of his injuries, and by the amountof blood soaking his clothes, he was going to die, and soon. He was paper white, his eyes rimmed in red. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you," whispered Wendy. "I let you down."

Oliver smiled at her. "Are you kidding? Seeing you behead that hell bitch? That's the best going away present you could ever give me, Pippy. I know you're going to be all right. Now help me up. I need to get to Jessie."

/

The group was huddled around Jessica and Gideon. Mabel and Pacifica clung to each other, crying, Aurora was supporting an ashen-faced Dipper, and Lexie knelt protectively next to Gideon, her eyes not leaving his face. Tears were running down Gideon's cheeks from his exhaustion at keeping the healing spell going, and his disappointment that no matter what he did, as soon as he stopped healing her, Jess would die.

The group parted for Wendy and Oliver to approach her. Wendy was practically carrying her dad, he was leaning so heavily on her. When they were next to Jess, Oliver sighed, and sank to his knees.

"I'm sorry," said Gideon, trembling. "I'm trying but... I can't-she's hurt so bad... I'm sorry." He lowered his head, and his teardrops landed on Jess's forehead.

"It's okay kid, you did good," said Oliver, quietly. He patted Gideon's arm. "You did good," he repeated. "But you need to stop now."

"But she'll die!" cried Gideon, throwing his head up and making eye contact with Oliver. Oliver shook his head. It must be the blood loss-for a moment it looked like Gideon's pupils were slits.

"Gid, you're burning yourself out," said Lexie softly. "There's nothing anyone can do for her."

Wendy knelt next to Jessica, on the opposite side of Oliver. She stroked her mom's hair, tears streaming down her face. Dipper stumbled forward and knelt next to his girlfriend, taking her free hand in his.

"Gideon, thank you for at least giving me time to say goodbye," she said, her voice strained from emotion. She leaned forward and kissed her mom's cheek. "I forgive you, mom," she whispered. "For everything." She lost it then. She turned and buried her face in Dipper's shoulder, sobbing.

Oliver touched Gideon's arm lightly. "It's time."

Shaking, Gideon removed his hands from Jessica's shoulders. Lexie pulled him into a hug as he cried, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I tried!" She rubbed his back and rocked him, tears trickling slowly down her own cheeks.

Using the little strength he had left, Oliver pulled Jessica into his arms. Her breathing was shallow, and her pulse nearly non-existent. He kissed her on the forehead, and murmured softly, "Tua est dolor meus. Ego partito in alios onere. Meum est vita tua."

Oliver cried out in pain, and bit his lip, as blood began to gush from a gouge on his stomach. A gouge in the exact same spot that only moments ago Jessica had had on her own stomach. It was gone.

Jessica's eyelids began to flutter. Oliver gently lowered her back to the ground, and laid down next to her, holding her hand, and staring at her face, as he continued to repeat the same Latin phrase over and over.

Spots of color began to bloom on Jessica's cheeks, and her chest rose and fell as she breathed deeply. Suddenly she gasped, and sat straight up, looking around her, wild-eyed. She blinked in confusion, and stared down at the hand holding hers.

"Ollie?" she whispered, taking in his bloodsoaked clothing and haggard appearance. "What did you do?"

"Jessie," he said faintly, his eyelids drooping. "I love you. It was always you. Take good care of our Pippy, okay?" His eyes flicked over to Wendy's tear stained face. She was holding her fist against her mouth to keep from wailing.

Oliver smiled at his daughter. "Love you, Pippy. So proud..." He glanced around at the rest of the group, his eyes coming to rest on Dipper. "You all made me proud today." He took a pained breath, and winced.

"Ollie, please," begged Jessica, her voice quavering. "Don't leave. Please!"

Oliver was too weak to speak. He smiled sadly at Jessica, squeezed her hand, closed his eyes, and let out a shuddering breath. He was gone.

/

The day of Oliver's funeral dawned cold and damp, the sky shrouded in low-hanging gray clouds. Dipper sat up and yawned, and noticed the bed next to him was empty. Wendy was standing at the window, staring at Oliver's motorcycle, parked in front of the Corduroy house like he was just around the corner. Dipper slid off the bed and padded over to Wendy, hugging her from behind, and kissing her cheek.

"You're up early," he said, his voice still husky with sleep.

"I never fell asleep," said Wendy softy.

She turned from her window, and wrapped her arms around Dipper, burying her face in his shoulder. "He's gone," she said, her voice muffled against Dipper's skin. "We're sticking him in a hole in the ground today. He saved us multiple times, but we couldn't save him. And now we're planting him like some macabre tulip bulb. Only he's not coming back in the spring with the tulips."

Dipper opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat, so he simply held Wendy, and stroked her hair.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Jessica called to them from the other side. "If you two aren't awake you need to be getting up. Dan and the boys will be here soon." They heard her footsteps shuffle away, and Wendy pulled back from Dipper with a sigh.

"This is going to be a very awkward day," she muttered. She turned to her dresser and peeled off the tanktop she'd not-slept in, and tossed it to the floor.

Dipper stared at her naked back and, internally chastised himself for feeling horny on the morning of his girlfriend's father's funeral. "I'm, uh, shower," he mumbled. He grabbed his overnight bag and hastily left for the bathroom.

When he had finished his shower and was dressed in his only suit, he peeked into the kitchen. Jessica was sitting at the table, a dazed look on her face, holding a mug of coffee. Dipper didn't want to disturb her, so he headed back to Wendy's room. When he pushed the door open, he was greeted with the sight of Wendy sitting on the edge of her bed, sobbing. She had a black dress on, but the back was unzipped. A pair of pantyhose hung limply from her hands. Dipper sat down next to her and put an arm around her.

"Sorry," she said thickly. "I cry too much these days. It's stupid, too. I just can't get this damn dress zipped. I hate dresses."

"Don't apologize," said Dipper, leaning over and kissing the top of Wendy's head. "You're allowed to cry, even if it is over a dress. Why are you wearing that, anyway?"

"It's a funeral," she said, gesturing to Dipper's suit. "You're supposed to dress nice for a funeral."

Dipper chuckled softly. "Did Pike even ever see you in a dress?"

Wendy shook her head. "No. Well, maybe if I was young enough that I don't remember. It's always been jeans and flannels." She leaned over to pick her favorite green flannel shirt off the floor, and hugged it to her chest. "He gave this to me, years ago. Did I ever tell you that?"

Dipper shook his head. "That explains why you love it so much. I think you should wear it today. Wear your regular Wendy uniform. Jeans, tanktop, flannel, and boots. I think he'd want you to be comfortable."

Wendy's mouth twitched up at the corners. She nodded and stood, pulling the dress off, and tossing it and the pantyhose into the corner of the room. Dipper blew out a breath slowly, and tried to look at anything in the room but Wendy as she dressed. Finally, she poked him in the ribs to get his attention. He turned to her and grinned.

"Much better," he said. "You look like the Wendy we all know and love."

"I look like his Pippy," said Wendy. Her chin quivered, but she smiled. She grabbed Dipper's old blue and white pine tree hat off a bedpost, and jammed it on her head. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready."

/

The church was full to capacity. Oliver had touched a lot of lives, and been important to a lot of people, even if he hadn't realized it. Dipper and Wendy sat in the front row next to Jessica, Dan, and their sons. In the next row back sat Mabel, Pacifica, Aurora, Gideon, and Lexie.

Dipper and Wendy had steered clear of Jessica while she was busy making the funeral preparations, so they didn't know any of the details, like who would be doing the eulogy. All Dipper knew was that he was supposed to be one of the pall-bearers. He was pleasantly surprised, then, when instead of a preacher, Luther, Oliver's bartender friend from Seattle, stood up and walked past the closed casket, to stand behind the pulpit. Dipper couldn't help but chuckle. The brawny bald man wore a suit, but the sleeves of both the suit and the dress shirt beneath had been torn completely off, exposing his bulging muscles and colorful tattoos.

"Pike could drink me under the table, and that's hard to do," began Luther. There were a few nervous titters from the congregation. "When I heard he died, my first thought (after being sad, of course), was 'Damn! That bitch still ain't paid his tab!'"

Dipper laughed out loud at this point, but he was the only one. He sank down in his seat, but Luther just smiled at him and winked.

"Then, you know what I found out a few days ago?" continued the barman. "I found out that I was written into Pike's will. He left me enough money to pay off his tab, and then some. Because, see, that's just the kind of guy Pike was. He was the kind of guy to never let a friend down. And the kind of guy who always tried to do the right thing. He broke up more than a few fights in my bar-one time, I'm not sure how, but he got the guys who was fighting to end the night singing a karaoke duet of 'I Got You Babe.'"

A few more people in the congregation laughed along with Dipper this time. Wendy giggled, and hid her face.

"But Lord help you if you ever hurt someone he cared about," Luther said solemnly, shaking his head. "He would go to the ends of the earth to keep his loved ones safe. He saw himself as a protector. He wanted to keep all the bad things out of the world, keep people from suffering. And he did. He did."

Luther bowed his head, and wiped his eyes. "Pike was the best person I've ever known. I reckon he's probably the best person I ever will know. Because he's a hard act to follow." He cleared his throat. "Now, we all know Pike wouldn't want us to sit here and weep over him, right? Well, if you have a good memory of Pike to share, come on up-let's hear it."

One by one, friends of Pike's from Seattle filed up to tell their funny or heartwarming stories. People from Gravity Falls began to join in as well. Dipper was surprised at the amount of people Pike had made an impression on. Finally, as the last person who had wanted to share a memory walked back to their seat, Luther motioned to Dipper and the other pall-bearers.

Dipper, Gideon, Lexie, Pacifica, Mabel, and Aurora all stood, and approached the casket, hoisting it up. Someone at the sound booth hit a switch, and 'Dust in the Wind,' by Kansas began playing. As the six friends slowly carried the casket down the center aisle and out the door, there wasn't a dry eye in the church.

/

The funeral was over, and nearly everyone had departed the cemetery. Wendy stood in front of her father's grave, hugging herself as the wind whipped her hair around her face. She stared at the headstone, reading the words that she and all her friends had agreed upon with Jessica.

Oliver "Pike" Corduroy

He was our hero

Jessica walked up next to her daughter, and put an arm around Wendy's shoulders.

"I miss him so much, mom," Wendy whispered. "I didn't get enough time with him. It's not fair. Why'd he have to die?"

"I don't know why his time was up, sweetie," said Jessica, her voice hoarse from the amount of crying she'd been doing. "But he knew he'd lost too much blood, and wasn't going to make it anyway. He saved me because he loved you and wanted you to still have one of us around."

Wendy glanced up at her mom, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. "That was part of it, probably. But mom, you heard him. He loved you. Really loved you. He said 'It was always you.' Why couldn't we have just been a family?"

Jessica looked at her feet, as a tear slid down her cheek. "I'm sorry for how everything happened, Wendy. I regret-" her voice caught in her throat. "I loved him too. Always. He was my best friend before I began dating Dan. Then I ruined everything."

Wendy turned to Jessica and hugged her. "Mom, dad forgave you for that. I've forgiven you for that. Please don't beat yourself up. The rift changed you. You weren't yourself."

Cool drops of water landed on Wendy's hands and cheeks, and she looked at the sky. The steel gray clouds roiled above them, and the rain began to come down in earnest. Mother and daughter held hands and ran for the car. As Wendy buckled herself in next to Dipper, she glanced back at the fresh grave.

Dipper took her hand and squeezed it. She turned to him, her eyes sad.

"Everything is going to be different now."

/

The rain had stopped, and the night sky was clear. The moon and the pinpricks of the Milky Way stars shone brightly. The cemetery smelled of damp soil, with a sweet undertone. A hunched old man with a long white beard shuffled up to the fresh grave. He pulled a small glass bottle from his jacket pocket, and knelt down, scooping some of the moist, loose soil into it. He held the bottle up to his face and squinted at it, before nodding and corking it.

"Yes, yes, fresh grave dirt. A fine sample. A fine sample, indeed," he muttered to himself, as he placed the jar back in his pocket and pulled out a tablet. He tapped and swiped at the tablet screen, then leaned forward to read the headstone.

"Yes, oh my, the slippery fish-he was a wild card, wasn't he? We are so very close now, especially with him gone, I can feel it. Yes, yes. I think it's time I keep a closer eye on those children. They could be quite problematic."

The old man nodded to himself and shuffled away from the grave, still fiddling with the tablet. The homepage of Gravity Falls High School glowed brightly in the darkness.

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 27: Out Of The Ashes

/


	27. Out Of The Ashes

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **Out Of The Ashes**

A crisp breeze rustled the pine needles, and sent red, orange, and brown leaves dancing along the forest floor. The late morning sun was obscured by low-hanging, dark gray clouds. It hadn't started raining yet, but the air smelled damp.

Dipper glanced at the bit of sky visible through the forest canopy and sighed.

"I knew I should have brought an umbrella." He tucked his hands into his coat pockets and glanced at Wendy. "Maybe we should cut our hike short and head back to the house."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, and nudged him with her elbow. "You _are_ aware you live in Oregon now, right dude? Getting rained on is par for the course."

Dipper chuckled softly, and nudged Wendy back. "You're forgetting, I didn't just move here. You were just absent for my past three years of settling in."

Wendy didn't respond right away, and Dipper mentally kicked himself. It had only been two weeks since her dad had died right in front of her—joking with her was a gamble. He tried to think of something to say that wouldn't be too awkward. He was coming up blank. Luckily, Wendy finally spoke.

"You know, with everything that's happened lately..." she paused and swallowed before continuing. "We forgot about something that seems pretty damn important. How the hell did I disappear like I did?"

Dipper scratched the back of his head, and stopped walking. He turned to face Wendy, who had also stopped.

"That's a very good question. Back when it happened… there were no clues. Literally—zilch." He reached out and gently caressed Wendy's cheek. Her skin was flushed, but cool to the touch. "Now that things have settled down somewhat, I guess we could try looking into it again. It just makes me nervous, though, you know? Like looking a gift horse in the mouth?"

The corners of Wendy's mouth twitched slightly upward. "Who're you calling a horse, bucko?"

Dipper smiled. "What? Horses are majestic beasts!"

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Moving along," she said, linking her arm through Dipper's, and continuing on their hike. "The three years that I was gone—we haven't really talked about what happened to you during that time. Besides the Aurora stuff, anyway."

Dipper's cheeks turned crimson, and he looked at the forest floor. "I'm still...really sorry about that, Wendy," he said softly.

Wendy flapped her free hand. "Water under the bridge. She acts like she's your mom now, anyway."

Dipper chuckled. "That, she does. But you were wanting to know about what sort of trouble I got into when you were gone, right?"

"Well, yeah," said Wendy. "For one, I've accepted that Gid and Lexie are both besties of yours, but I'm kind of dying to know how that happened. Back before—well, wasn't Gideon in reform school?"

Dipper nodded. "He finally got to come home around August, the year after you disappeared. He just showed up at school in September. Nobody expected it. The kids that remembered what he'd done gave him all manner of hell. He tried to keep to himself, but there was one group of assholes in particular that went out of their way to make his life miserable. I caught them stalking him as he walked home from school one day. They cornered him, and started beating him up."

"Poor guy," said Wendy. "So what did you do?"

Dipper grinned. "A few well-aimed rift fireballs scared them off," he said with a shrug. "They didn't scare Gid, though. He was awestruck. He didn't know about me being a Star Child. He wanted to see what other cool things I could do. I told him about Pike—" Dipper stopped and looked at Wendy, but her expression was closed off. He took a breath and continued. "And about how he'd visit from Seattle every weekend to train me to fight and stuff. Gid wanted to know if there was anything Pike could teach him, even though he wasn't a Star Child. I wasn't sure if him learning magic would be a good idea, at first, because of what he'd done when we were younger. But I introduced him to Pike, and they had a 'come to Jesus talk,' where Pike made him swear to steer clear of the dark magics. He agreed to that, and from then on, he started training with us every weekend."

Wendy nodded. "He's definitely been helpful to have on our side. Do you know why his magic smells like roses, though?"

Dipper laughed. "I honestly have no clue. I asked Pike once. He said something about the color and scent of an individual's magic having something to do with the state of the person's soul—their true essence, or something. He kinda lost me."

"Huh," said Wendy thoughtfully. "I wonder what it means about his soul that he has gold flecks in his magic now—after being bitten by the vampire, then Lex—then getting a blood transfusion from a dragon-shifter."

"I kind of wondered that, too. Maybe your mom would have an idea?" suggested Dipper.

"Maybe," said Wendy.

The breeze grew stronger, and droplets of cold water began to fall gently through the canopy, landing on the couples' faces. Wendy put up the hood on her jacket, and Dipper pulled his trapper hat more tightly over his ears. Without discussing it, both turned, and held hands as they began to walk back in the direction they had come from.

"Okay, so what about Lex? That one is more of a mystery to me, because I know you don't have a past with her like you did with Gideon," said Wendy.

Dipper smiled fondly. "Ah, Lexie. The summer before Gideon came back to school, Greyfang came to talk to me—which was weird, because I'd never seen him in his human form. Anyway, he said that he had a granddaughter about my age, maybe a year younger, who was having some problems, well—being human. He wanted to know if I would spend time with her, and help her learn to soften her rough edges." He laughed. "She had a _lot_ of rough edges."

"What, more than she has now?" chuckled Wendy.

Dipper sucked his teeth. "Way more. Like. I almost became a werewolf that summer. Incidentally."

"Damn," said Wendy, whistling. "What'd you do to provoke her?"

Dipper snorted. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I went in for a high-five," said Dipper, completely deadpan. "She had done something funny—I don't remember what, now—and I tried to high-five her. She thought I was attacking, I guess? If my reflexes were just a bit slower, I'd be a furry right now."

"Holy shit," said Wendy. "And I thought she was high strung _now_."

Dipper smiled. "She's my best bitch, though. I know she'll always have my back. And I can't help but ship her and Gid. I saw _that_ coming from the moment I introduced them. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

The rain began falling in earnest now, the drops splattering against Dipper and Wendy's faces and hands more heavily. The couple picked up their pace, as they continued chatting amicably, never letting go of each other's hand as they made their way back toward the Pines' house.

/

Jessica Corduroy sat at her kitchen table, flipping through an old photo album she'd found in the attic. The cover was labeled simply "Ollie," and it was filled with pictures of Oliver Corduroy from the time he was an infant.

Around the time he was six, a young Jessica began appearing frequently in the pages of the album with him. They looked so innocent and happy.

Jessica wiped her leaking eyes with the back of her hand. The proof was right there, in the photo album. As the Ollie and Jess in the photos aged, it became clearer. More often than not, when the two were pictured together, Ollie wasn't smiling for the camera. He was smiling at Jess. The adoration was clear on his face.

Then came the pictures with the three of them—Ollie, Jess, and Dan. Dan standing with his arm confidently slung around Jess's shoulders, while Ollie stood behind them, still smiling, but his eyes sad. As Jessica flipped the pages, the sad eyes became hard, and Dan's arm sank lower, until the pictures showed the teenage Daniel with his arm around Jess's waist, and Jess leaning into him, with her head on his shoulder. Oliver smiled, but it was forced, and the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Hello, Pike," murmured Jessica, touching the teenage Oliver's face.

The last picture in the album had been stuck in haphazardly, next to Oliver's graduation photos. It was a picture of him as a young adult, smiling genuinely, with a red-headed, pig-tailed toddler riding on his shoulders. Wendy had her head thrown back in laughter, her hands gripping clumps of Oliver's hair.

Jessica's chin quivered, as she pulled the photo from the album, and held it to her lips. She turned it around, and was hit with a wave of grief, as she read, in Oliver's handwriting, "Pippy—worth everything."

"I promise, Ollie—I'll take care of our Pippy. I'll take care of the whole motley group of kids you've collected and trained." She tucked the photo back where she found it, and touched Oliver's face once more before closing the album.

"It's what you would want."

/

Although Wendy and Dipper had gone for a hike in the woods, the rest of their crew had decided a lazy Sunday at the Pines' house was long overdue. Mabel and Pacifica were curled up against each other on the sofa, Pacifica gently running her fingers through Mabel's hair, as the brunette attempted to work on some knitting. Gideon and Lexie were side-by-side on their usual love seat, playing a pvp video game. Aurora puttered around in the kitchen, baking something that made the house smell like cinnamon and cloves.

Mabel sighed and tossed her knitting to the floor, then turned to wrap her arms around Pacifica's torso.

"This is the best day we've had in a long time," she said, her voice slightly muffled from her face being pressed into Pacifica's midsection.

Pacifica murmured contentedly, and leaned down to kiss the top of Mabel's head. "It almost feels like we're normal high schoolers, in a normal town," she said wistfully.

"Shit, guys, don't jinx us!" cried Lexie, without taking her eyes off the TV screen. "Somebody find some wood to knock on!"

"Okay, sugar," said Gideon playfully. He reached over and gently rapped his knuckles on the side of Lexie's head.

"Oh ho ho!" Lexie laughed sarcastically. "Well, Mr. Funnypants, that little move just got you killed in-game!"

Gideon shrugged. "Worth it."

Lexie grinned wolfishly, and sat her controller aside, before tackling Gideon, throwing him down on the love seat. She leaned over him, pressing him down against the cushions with her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't forget, witchy boy, I have free reign to bite you now," she murmured low, her hair brushing against his collarbone and jaw, making him shiver.

"Is that a promise, sugar?" Gideon replied, reaching up to pull Lexie against him, pressing his mouth into hers fiercely.

Lexie groaned and pulled away. "I love it when you go all alpha on me," she said, breathing her words into the side of his neck.

It was Gideon's turn to groan softly.

"Good lord, you two, get a room," Pacifica said loudly, rolling her eyes.

Gideon and Lexie jumped, having forgotten that they weren't alone. Lexie sat back up, and brushed her hair out of her eyes, her face flushed.

"Okay. Your room is free now, right Mabel?" she asked, only half-joking.

"Ew, nope," said Mabel. She sat up and leaned her head against Pacifica's shoulder. "I don't want boy fluids all over my bed."

"Oh, but girl fluids are okay?" joked Gideon. "Sexist."

"Well, not _all_ girls' fluids," Mabel said, smirking. "One girl's in particular." She looked up at Pacifica, whose face was suddenly very red.

"Well, I'm fucking frisky as hell, right now," Lexie said under her breath. She picked up her game controller, and nudged Gideon. "Get ready to have your ass handed to you."

Gideon glanced at her sideways and grinned. "You're on, sugar." There it was again—the flutter in the back of his mind. It seemed to only happen when he was horny, upset, or feeling particularly competitive. Lexie had said something about him acting like an alpha. Gideon wondered if the stirring in the back of his mind had something to do with the werewolf virus. He pushed the thought aside, as a new game started.

Aurora stood in the living room doorway and frowned, her eyes narrowed. She had just felt a mental stirring of something not entirely unfamiliar—but only momentarily. It had felt like Gideon's essence, but something about it was... _off_. She stared at the white-haired boy as he played video games with Lexie, feeling perplexed, and mildly uncomfortable.

/

The forest was dark and damp, the loamy earth still soaked from the day's rain. Smells filled the air, some familiar, some completely alien. The hunter raised its nose, and sniffed, inhaling the scent of prey.

The prey heard a twig snap. Its heart began pounding, as it darted in the opposite direction from which the noise had come. Monsters lurked in this forest at night.

The hunter's keen ears picked up the whisper of underbrush, and the soft crunch of pine needles being trod on. Its prey was on the move. It bared its teeth, and lurched in the direction of the prey. It was hungry.

/

Gideon shot up in his bed, panting, and soaked in sweat. He was gripping his blanket so tightly that his knuckles were white. He took a deep breath and slowly blew it out, his exhale turning into a yawn. He glanced at his clock. Five-thirty in the morning. He had to be up to get ready for school in a half hour anyway. He felt exhausted, but he didn't want to risk slipping back into his nightmare… whatever it had been. The dream was already fading from his mind, leaving behind nothing but a sense of dread.

Gideon sighed and threw his covers off, and stumbled tiredly to the bathroom. He stood in the hot spray of the shower, trying to replace the sense of dread he felt with a more pleasant emotion.

Lexie. She gave him pretty much nothing _but_ pleasant emotions. In the two weeks since the vampire attack and Pike's death, they had taken things slow. Gideon had still needed time to completely heal, and neither of them felt right about rushing things after everything that had happened.

But then yesterday had happened. Gideon closed his eyes as he remembered the weight of Lexie pushing him down into the cushions of the love seat. How her silky hair tickled as it swept over his collarbones. The heat of her breath on his neck as she murmured how she loved it when he acted alpha.

Gideon moaned, and leaned against the wall of the shower, his soapy hand gripping himself, gliding and tugging, as he imagined Lexie pressed close against him in the steaming shower, her body molded to his, her lips on his neck, her teeth gently scraping his skin. Her hand gently gripping him, sliding, working him into a frenzy.

Gideon's legs shook and his knees nearly buckled as he reached his peak, and he came, hot spurts of milky liquid splattering against the shower wall, and sliding down to the drain.

He finished cleaning himself up, the nightmare now completely gone from his mind. He turned the shower off and sighed contentedly, stepping out and wrapping a towel around himself. He stood in front of the steam-shrouded mirror, and toweled his long hair, before running a comb through it.

He glanced at his face as the mist faded from the mirror, and did a double take. His eyes looked strange, like his pupils were slits. He wiped the remaining moisture from the mirror, and leaned in, squinting. No, they were normal. He had dark purple circles under his eyes, from a less-than-stellar night's sleep, but his pupils were normal, black, and circular.

Gideon shook his head, and finished getting ready for school. He really needed to start getting better sleep.

/

"Wendy Corduroy, please report to the guidance office," said a staticky voice through the classroom loudspeaker. Wendy's teacher nodded to her, and she quickly slid her notebook back into her bag, then stood and walked from her first period classroom. She wondered what this was about. She hadn't done anything to be in trouble for. Lately. She thought.

"Ah, yes, Miss Corduroy, right this way, please," said an elderly, stooped gentleman, who was dressed like Mr. Rogers, as Wendy walked into the guidance office. Wendy didn't recognize him. She followed him into an office at the back of guidance, and sat at the chair in front of a wide oak desk, while he walked around it and sat opposite her. He clasped his hands under his chin and smiled at her.

"Sorry, but who're you?" asked Wendy. "I normally see Mr. Walker."

The man nodded. "Yes, yes, Mr. Walker. Funny thing happened. He resigned two weeks ago with no prior notice. Unfortunate. Nice man. I am his replacement, Robert Faust."

He stuck a bony hand out over the desk, and Wendy shook it.

"So—" began Wendy.

"Why are you here?" Mr. Faust interrupted her. He pulled a tablet from his desk drawer and moved his fingers over it, scrolling past pages too quickly for Wendy to ascertain what was on them. "It seems you've had a rough time of things lately, and I'm just checking in with you to see how you're handling everything." He nodded his head at the tablet, and Wendy had just enough time to see a picture of herself on it, and the word SUBJECT, before he hastily stashed it back in his drawer.

Wendy eyed Mr. Faust suspiciously. She wasn't sure how much she could tell him. Mr. Walker had lived in Gravity Falls his whole life, and was used to weird. He was also aware of the situation with Mrs. Corduroy, and hadn't seemed at all phased when Wendy had shown up in his office at the beginning of the year looking exactly the same age she had the last time she saw him, three years prior.

"I don't know how much of this you've discussed previously with Mr. Walker, but since I'm new, I'd like to start with your disappearance three years ago, and go from there," said Mr. Faust, as casually as if he was asking her what college she planned to attend.

"So you've heard about that?" asked Wendy, a single eyebrow raised.

Mr. Faust nodded. "Mr. Walker left his notes behind. According to him, you disappeared three years ago without a trace, and then reappeared in exact same spot, without having aged at all. How did that come to pass?"

Wendy shrugged. "Search me," she said. "I'd love to know. All I remember is standing in my boyfriend's bedroom, wishing we were the same age, and then three years had passed."

Mr. Faust narrowed his eyes, and pulled his tablet back out of the desk. He held it up so that Wendy couldn't see the screen at all. He ran his fingers over it, scrolling quickly—then he stopped, a wide smile spreading across his face. He peered over the tablet at Wendy.

"Tell me, Miss Corduroy—when you wished you and your boyfriend were the same age, what age was he?"

"It was his fourteenth birthday," said Wendy, unsure why that mattered.

"And you were?" prompted Mr. Faust.

"Seventeen."

The smile on Mr. Faust's face spread to Joker-esque proportions. "His age when you reappeared?"

"Seven...teen..." said Wendy, her eyes widening. "What the hell? Are you suggesting that I made _myself_ disappear?"

Mr. Faust quickly shook his head. "Oh, no, no, not at all," he said. "But your wish might have been granted by other means."

Wendy frowned. "What other means?"

"Hmm?" asked Mr. Faust. He had become absorbed in whatever was displaying on his tablet screen. He looked up at Wendy, and waved a hand at her dismissively. "Who knows, my dear? It's a strange town, this. Now," he said, once again shoving the tablet in a drawer, "after your return, I gather you had some relationship trouble, as your beau had somewhat moved on. How are things in that arena now?"

/

"Has anyone else met Mr. Faust, the new guidance counselor?" asked Wendy, as she sat her lunch tray down with a thump, and took a seat between Dipper and Aurora. Lexie, Gideon, Pacifica and Mabel sat across from them.

Everyone shook their heads in the negative, although Mabel spoke up. "I saw him in the hall. He looked really familiar, but I couldn't place it. Maybe it's just because he looks like a creepy version of Mr. Rogers. Why?"

Wendy shrugged. "I got called to his office this morning. He wanted to talk about some really personal stuff. It was weird."

Lexie blew a raspberry. "Guidance counselors always want to talk about personal stuff. It's their job. So far I've avoided any of their 'guidance' by spending an hour hanging in the bathroom if I get called out of class. You should try it."

Wendy smiled down at her green beans. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So," said Dipper, clearing his throat. "I was thinking… we haven't done any training since before—" He paused and glanced quickly at Wendy, then continued. "We're all getting out of practice. I asked Mrs. Corduroy if she'd stay after school with us today and train out on the athletic field. She was okay with it, if everyone else is. Are you?"

Everyone nodded.

"Frankly, I'm glad," drawled Gideon. "My magic hasn't been right since...certain events. I'm not sure what's going on with it, but my healing spells can barely mend a paper cut now, and forget about defensive magic. Maybe Mrs. Corduroy will have an idea of what's going on with me."

Dipper nodded. "I wasn't going to say anything, but since you're having problems too—I've been having a lot of trouble tapping the rift. Aurora, have you noticed anything weird with the rift?"

Aurora pursed her lips, her brow furrowed. "Not with the rift, no. But… lately I can barely feel the rift within _you_ at all. Just traces of it. I haven't had to siphon any rift energy from you since you absorbed it from the Powers. There hasn't been a need."

Dipper frowned. "Well, if I wasn't worried before, I am now. It's settled then. We'll meet out on the field after last bell."

/

Lexie was the first of the group to arrive at the field after school. She knew she and Wendy were set to spar, so she sat her book bag and sweatshirt aside, and began stretching, to limber herself up. Her legs were straight out in front of her, and she was touching her toes, when her hackles went up. Well, her metaphorical hackles. She felt like she was being watched. Her head shot up, and she looked around. She caught a whiff of a familiar scent that she normally only smelled around family, or with the pack.

There was another werewolf nearby.

She shot to her feet and scanned the area. The boys cross country team was running past the field. She trotted closer to the mass of sweaty adolescent males, and the smell intensified. She scanned the faces, but she couldn't pinpoint who the smell emanated from—until one boy in particular purposely slowed, and fell to the back of the group.

Lexie had never seen him before. He was tall, with a slender runner's build, and sun-bronzed skin. His short, black hair was swept back from his face, except for a few pieces that fell rakishly into his eyes. As he passed Lexie, he turned to look her in the eye, and winked. His eyes were yellow.

"Hey Lex!"

Lexie jumped, and turned to see Gideon trotting toward her. She turned back to the group of runners, but the werewolf boy had once again mixed in with the group, and she could no longer pinpoint him. She sighed and walked to meet Gideon.

"I feel like a dope," he said with a grin, as he tossed his satchel to the ground. "I've been standing outside the girls bathroom for the past five minutes, probably looking like a creeper, thinking I'd seen you go in there. I must have seen you turning the corner to come out here." He pulled Lexie into a hug, and then let her go, his brow furrowed.

"Something wrong, sugar? You don't seem happy to see me."

Lexie shook her head to clear it, and smiled at Gideon. "Sorry, Gid. I was having a bit of 'furry brain.'" She leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss. "All better now."

"A- _hem_ ," Pacifica mock coughed from behind them. "Didn't I tell you two just yesterday to get a room?" They turned and grinned at Pacifica and Mabel.

"Oh, we will," said Gideon. "Soon," he added, murmuring quietly enough so that only Lexie could hear the last part. Lexie felt a hitch in her breath, and a warm, tingling feeling filled her belly. The werewolf boy was now the _last_ thing on her mind.

"Hey guys!" called Dipper. He, Wendy, Aurora and Jessica were all heading toward them. Aurora and Jessica each held a large stack of books.

"Which Poindexters get to do the reading?" asked Lexie, nodding to the books.

"Pacifica and I," said Aurora. "And depending on how her meditation goes, possibly Mabel."

"Aw man," muttered Pacifica.

"Would you rather spar with me or Wendy?" asked Lexie, a smug grin on her face.

"Wow, those books sure look interesting," Pacifica said loudly. "Let me help you with them!" She took the stack from Jessica, and she and Aurora headed to a shady part of the field, to sit and peruse the musty old tomes.

"Okay," said Jessica to the rest of the group, rubbing her palms together. "Wendy, Lexie, you're sparring. No weapons. And," she said, making eye contact with Lexie " _no teeth_."

Lexie flashed Wendy a toothy grin. "But I wanted us to be best bitches!" she mock-complained.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Come on, bitch, show me what you can do without teeth and claws."

Dipper and Gideon stared slack-jawed at their girlfriends as they began grappling.

"So hot," muttered Dipper.

"Uh-huh," Gideon said, his eyes darting as they followed Lexie's lithe movements.

Jessica clapped her hands loudly between their heads to get their attention. They jumped, startled, and turned toward her, their faces red.

"Now, Dipper, you said that both of you are having difficulties with your respective skills, correct?" she asked.

Dipper nodded. "I don't get it. If it was just one of us it might make sense, because I use rift energy, and Gideon uses magic. But we're both struggling."

Jessica pursed her lips. "Show me," she said. She nodded to Dipper. "You first. Try to forge a sword with the rift. That's something I know is usually easy for you."

Dipper took a deep breath, and held a fist out in front of him. Normally creating a rift sword took no effort at all. Now he was having to actively concentrate, and focus all his energy on manipulating the rift, to little effect. A hazy flicker of silver coated his hand for a moment, then sputtered out.

"Guh, it's no use," Dipper said, dropping his hand to his side. "That's all I can do right now."

Jessica frowned. "That is very unusual. Okay, Gideon—how about you enclose yourself in one of those neat little bubble wards you're so good at?"

"I'll certainly try," drawled Gideon. He closed his eyes and focused on the thread of magic deep in his chest, and tried to draw it out. He knelt, and pounded his fist to the ground. The thinnest of wards expanded around him, and immediately dissipated, leaving behind the scent of burning roses.

Gideon stood back up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't like this. That ward was one of the first spells that Pike taught me. I've never had this much trouble casting it before."

Jessica's mouth formed a grim line. "I don't like it either. There has to be an explanation—we just need to figure out what it is. You boys just keep trying what you just tried. I'll be back to check on you in—oh, jeez, the girls have attracted a crowd."

Dipper and Gideon turned to see the entire boys cross country team encircling Wendy and Lexie, shouting and cheering. Jessica bustled forward and tried to get the boys to move along.

"Nothing to see, kids, really!" she cried, trying to be heard over the boys' excited shouts. "We're just holding a, uh, self-defense club meeting!"

Finally the boys dispersed, all but for a few stragglers, and Jessica moved on to help Mabel with her meditation.

A tall boy with dark hair was one of the stragglers, and he watched Lexie with a strange expression on his face. He turned to walk away, but stopped, turned back to Lexie, and opened his mouth, letting out a loud, piercing howl, just like a wolf.

Lexie tensed up and looked at the boy. She should have been watching Wendy's fists. Stars exploded behind her eyes as Wendy clocked her in the jaw, knocking her off her feet.

"Shit!" cried Wendy. "You were supposed to dodge that, dumb-ass!" She leaned over and gave Lexie a hand up. "Are you okay?"

Lexie held a hand to her jaw, and opened and closed her mouth, before nodding. She turned to glare at the werewolf boy who had distracted her, but he was gone. A low growl rumbled in her throat. She didn't know what this new werewolf was playing at, but she'd be sure to mention him to her grandfather. He was usually aware of all the comings and goings of werewolves in the area—hopefully he'd know who the cocky, young asshole was.

Across the field, Mabel sat in lotus position, with her eyes closed, next to Pacifica and Aurora, who were pawing through Pike's old occult books, looking for anything that might be useful.

Jessica walked up quietly, not wanting to disturb the young seer.

"Hi Mrs. Corduroy," said Mabel, opening her eyes. "Don't worry, you're not interrupting me. I'm coming up dry."

"Have you really given yourself enough time to completely quiet your mind?" asked Jessica. "Sometimes it takes awhile."

"I think so," said Mabel, shrugging. "I've been practicing meditating every night before I go to bed, so I've gotten pretty good at getting my mind to the right state. Sometimes I think I'm starting to get a vision, but everything has been too muddled and blurry to be of any use."

Jessica sighed. "Okay, well—keep trying. Maybe put in your earphones and listen to some soft instrumental music. I'm going to go work some more with Dipper and Gideon, but holler if you need me."

Mabel nodded. "Will do." She pulled her phone and earbuds out of her backpack, and put them in, selecting a playlist of soft piano music to listen to.

Jessica ran her hands through her hair, and glanced over at the school building before heading back toward the boys. She stopped, and peered toward a window on the lower level. She could have sworn that there had been a face in that window, watching her. She shook her head, and continued toward the boys.

Mr. Faust peered back out of the window. Good, the fallen Star Child hadn't seen him. His fingers flew over his tablet, as he took notes while watching the group of teens on the field below.

/

Jessica hadn't been back to the Cavern of the Stars since Pike had captured her and taken her there over three years ago, after she had attempted to kill her daughter's boyfriend. It was then that the First Star Child stripped her of her ability to draw magic from the rift, and she became Scorpius, fallen.

She knew it was a long shot, showing back up now. However, she didn't know what else to do. She was worried about the magic users in her motley group of charges. Dipper was more capable of working with the rift than Jessica ever had been—for him to suddenly be cut off from the rift's power did not bode well. And she could think of no reason at all why Gideon's magic was suddenly all but non-existent.

Jessica shivered, and pulled her coat more tightly around her. The night air was chill. She stepped into the cave, trying to move quietly. Her footfalls echoed throughout the chamber, anyhow. She blinked in surprise when she got to the back of the chamber. The back of the cavern normally glowed, light cast from the constellations covering the walls. It was pitch dark.

"Hello?" she called. Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat, calling out louder. "Um, Star Children? First Star Child? It's, uh, me...Scorpius."

She felt ridiculous. However, shouting at the non-responsive Star Children had worked once for Oliver, so she kept shouting.

"I need help—not for me—for the current Star Child, Dipper. There's something wrong with the rift. And with regular magic, too. Please!"

She continued to call out, to no avail. She was becoming angry. "You never told me it could corrupt me, you know!" she cried. "If I had known that the rift would make me evil—turn me into a monster—I wouldn't have accepted my goddam Destiny! I hurt everyone I loved! I hurt Ollie!" She was crying now, as she screamed at the darkness. "You lied to him! You told him he wasn't Star Child material, when you knew he was. He was the _best_ of us! If you had told him the truth, he might still be alive! I thought Star Children were supposed to be the good guys, but—but _YOU ARE JUST AS BAD AS THE POWERS THAT BE_!"

Jessica stood in the empty cavern, listening as her screams echoed into nothingness. She pressed her hand to her mouth, but it did nothing to hold in her sobs. Oliver had been right to refuse to help the Powers That Be. She wished that she could go back in time and refuse the First Star Child. Things might have been so much different then. Maybe she would have ended up with Ollie, and still had Wendy—but without all the guilt and manipulation.

She didn't know what to do, now that Ollie was gone. He'd probably have figured out the rift problem by now. She just wanted him back. She'd give anything to have him back.

Jessica took a deep, shuddering breath, and turned back toward the entrance of the cavern. She was going to have to take a page out of Oliver's book, and figure out what was going on without the help of outside powers. It was just her and the kids, now. Her and the kids, against the world.

/

Aurora sat in her room, listening to the laughter floating up from downstairs. The whole group was there—all six teens. After their training session, they had come to the Pines' to eat dinner, and now they were hanging out in the living room, chatting, playing video games, and cuddling with their significant others. Six teens. Three couples. Aurora was the odd one out.

She sighed, as she fiddled with the wooden puzzle box that she had a habit of playing with. She would always love Dipper, but she knew in her heart that he and Wendy were meant to be. She had decided weeks ago to no longer try to get in the way of their happiness. However, seeing them together—seeing _everyone_ together, paired off, getting handsy with each other, sneaking kisses when they thought nobody else was watching—it made Aurora feel incredibly lonely.

She was bonded with Dipper for life—platonically, now—but she wanted more. She wanted what everyone else had. She wanted a mate. She smiled and chuckled to herself. It was highly doubtful that she'd ever come across a nice young boy dragon to settle down with.

Aurora heard a soft click, and looked down at the puzzle box in surprise. She hadn't even been paying attention to what she'd done for the mechanism to click into place, but it had. Part of the box was now immobile. She grinned, and held it up. Now that one part of the puzzle box was solved, she felt the urge to solve the rest of it.

She focused on the puzzle box, the mystery of what could be inside distracting her from her feelings of loneliness.

/

Mr. Faust sat in his darkened office, swiping through pages of information on his tablet. He was the only faculty member left at the school—it was getting late. He began to think about heading home. He had nearly shoved the tablet in his bag when it let out a shrill beep, and the screen began flashing an alert. He gasped, and held it up to his face. On the screen was an image of a wooden puzzle box. One section of it was highlighted in red. Mr. Faust grinned and let out a low chuckle.

"Soon. Oh, yes. Very soon!"

/

The crisp autumn breeze seemed to carry the sound of malevolent laughter across the night, as it rustled through the woods.

On the far side of the lake, a stream happily burbled through a forgotten part of the forest, feeding a small pond. Behind the pond, a handful of cabins sat in ruins—the remnants of what used to be a summer camp. The breeze stirred up faded pennant flags that hung, garlanded, between totem poles. A door on one of the cabins blew open, the bang of wood against wood echoing through the night.

A shadow moved inside the cabin. A hand slowly reached out, and pulled the door closed.

A cracked and peeling wooden sign hung above the overgrown dirt road that lead toward the cabins. It read "Welcome to Camp Translucent Pond."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 28: Thursday The Twelfth.

/

And we are back. Not nearly as long between chapters as it has been. Hopefully the pace will be kept. Lots of fun fun stuff planned for this season. Hopefully everyone will make it out relatively unscathed.

Thank you to all that have left reviews. They really do make my day **.**

Special Thanks go to Geekngroom, without whom this would be a jumbled mess of incoherent thoughts. Go check her stuff out for even better writing.

/

Peace


	28. Thursday The 12th

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

 **Thursday The Twelfth**

Peals of brash laughter echoed through the deep woods, as a trio of college kids trundled through the undergrowth, snapping twigs and loudly crushing the dry leaves underfoot, alerting every nearby wild beast to their presence. All their top-of-the-line backpacking gear was in pristine condition, never having been used before.

"Are you sure this is really a shortcut, Jay?" asked the lone girl of the group, a slender blonde wearing a sorority t-shirt and short-shorts. "It's starting to get dark. I don't think we should have gone off the trail."

"Aw, what's the matter, Callie?" asked a tall, muscular guy, with deep ebony skin and short dreadlocks. "Wishing you'd gone to Cancun for fall break with the rest of the Theta Barbie dolls?"

Callie huffed. "No, I wanted to spend time with Alex. I said yes to going camping with him before I knew you'd be third-wheeling it."

"Sorry, babe, I didn't think you'd mind," said the aforementioned Alex, slipping an arm between Callie's pack and the small of her back, so he could encircle her waist. His shaggy, dark blond hair fell in his eyes, and he used his other hand to push it aside. "I mean, you're my best girl, and Jay's my best bro—I thought it'd be good times."

Jay, who was leading the group, stopped abruptly and turned to face Callie and Alex, a grin splitting his face.

"Oh, it's gonna be good times," he said. "I'd heard about it and wanted to come for ages. I wasn't sure if it would still be here, but it is. I kind of lied to you about the campsite. What I was actually looking for was this."

Jay indicated behind him with a thumb, and Callie and Alex peered around him. They had come upon an overgrown dirt road, over which hung a badly rotted wooden sign, bearing the words: Camp Translucent Pond.

Callie folded her arms over her chest and frowned. "A creepy, abandoned summer camp? Ugh. Alex, I'm picking where we go for Spring break, because this… this is unacceptable."

Alex gave Callie a small grin. "Aw, don't be mad, babe. I think it looks kinda cool. It's getting dark, so we might as well stop here for the night. If you really don't like it, we can keep hiking tomorrow. In the meantime, if you get scared, I'll protect you."

Jay snorted and rolled his eyes, then turned and waved his companions forward. They entered the derelict camp, and set up their tents in a clearing surrounded by cabins, underneath a faded, moss-covered totem pole. After the sun finally set, they built up a small fire, and sat around it roasting marshmallows.

"So how'd you know about this place?" Alex asked Jay, as he skewered a fresh marshmallow on a stick.

"I have family in these parts, in that town, Gravity Falls, that we passed through about a half hour before we got to the trail head," answered Jay. The flickering firelight caused shadows to dance across his face. "My older cousins told me the story of Camp Translucent Pond when I was younger, and I've always wanted to come out and see if it was a real place. I did some digging, and found out that not only is it a real place, but the story I thought my cousins had just made up to scare me was actually true. Or at least, a good bit of it. I wanted to see if it was _all_ true—if the camp really is haunted."

Callie had just taken a bite of s'more, and nearly choked. "Haunted?" she gasped. "What the hell, Jay?!"

Alex placed a hand on Callie's thigh and squeezed. "He's not being serious, Callie. He's just trying to scare you." He glanced at his friend across the fire with narrowed eyes. " _Right_ , Jay?"

Jay shrugged. "Wanna hear the story?"

Callie scooted closer to Alex, biting her lower lip. "I guess," she muttered.

Alex placed a protective arm around Callie's shoulders. "Alright, bro. Tell us a scary story."

Jay grinned and began.

"This place was built back in the 70's. It was your typical summer camp, until the summer of '78, or as my cousins call it, 'The Summer of Slaughter.' One day a counselor snapped while he was teaching archery. He shot and killed some campers with a bow, then grabbed an ax and started swinging at anyone who came near him. It was a fucking massacre. He finally barricaded himself in the main office, where the only phone was located, so no one could call for help. Nobody knows who started it, because no one would admit to it, but when night fell, someone, either a camper or one of the few remaining counselors, lit the office building on fire. It burned to the ground, with the crazy counselor still barricaded inside. Witnesses say they could hear the counselor roaring like an animal as the office burned around him. The next day, when the embers cooled, and the police had finally been contacted, the ashes were searched for remains. They never found any. Needless to say, the camp was closed. Some people say that the insane counselor still lurks around the camp, just waiting to murder anyone foolish enough to come out here at night."

Callie shivered, her eyes wide. "Okay, if that story is true, it's really _fucked_ to bring people out here unknowingly. God, you're an ass. Alex, come get in the tent with me. I just want to forget all about that awful story. As soon as the sun comes up, we're fucking out of here."

"Don't worry, babe. It's only a story. But I know just what will take your mind off it," he said low, as he followed Callie into the tent. As he zipped up the tent, he winked at Jay. "Sorry if we're loud. She's a screamer."

/

Jay shook his head, and finished eating his s'more. He considered making another one, but he soon heard throaty moans and grunts coming from his companions' tent. He stood and grabbed a flashlight from his pack, then walked toward the cabins, trying to get out of earshot.

The story was true. Well, most of it. He had verified the facts about the reason for the camp's closure via a lengthy online search through the Gravity Falls library archives. There had been a counselor who snapped and killed some of the campers and staff at Camp Translucent Pond during the summer of '78, and was then subsequently killed when the office caught fire. Of course, the newspaper wouldn't have reported the detail that no remains had been found. That tidbit had been added as the story evolved into a campfire tale.

Jay wandered farther from the tents, sighing. Alex hadn't been kidding. Callie was screeching like a porn star. He tried to ignore the cries of ecstasy, as he swept the beam of his flashlight in front of him. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and began recording video. The real reason he'd wanted to come out to Camp Translucent Pond was because he wanted to try ghost hunting. He began asking questions, hoping that when he played the video back he'd hear ghostly whispers responding to him. Hell, even if he didn't, he could still throw the vid up on Youtube, and get a bunch of hits by claiming that Callie's moans actually came from a ghost responding to his questions.

"Is there a spirit present?" Jay asked. Callie cried out in the background. Jay stifled a giggle.

"If there is a spirit present, can you give me a sign?"

In the distance, Callie screamed. "YES!"

Jay bit his lip to keep from laughing. He was staring at the screen of his phone to see what it was recording, and noticed large shape that he hadn't seen just moments ago. He squinted, trying to make out what the shape was. He looked up from his phone, and gasped.

The phone toppled to the ground, still recording. It landed slightly on its side, leaning against a rock, and auto-focused on the face in front of it. Jay lay lifeless, in a growing pool of blood, his glazed eyes still wide open in terror. The recording picked up the sound of heavy, trudging footsteps, headed in the direction of the tents.

/

Alex rolled off of Callie, and flopped down onto the sleeping bag next to her. He took in a deep breath, then blew it out.

"Damn, babe. We gotta get you scared more often. That was… wow."

Callie giggled. "Yeah, I guess I can get into going to see those horror movies you like so much, if this is what we get to do after."

The crunch of gravel broke the silence of their afterglow, the sound of slow footsteps approaching the tent.

"Shit, did you hear that?" asked Callie, clinging to Alex.

Alex sighed. "It's probably just Jay being a jackass, babe."

A shadow was suddenly cast against the wall of the tent, as a large figure stepped between it and the fire. The figure appeared to be holding a large stick of some kind. It stood still, it's breath coming out in a deep rasping growl.

"Please go out there and tell Jay to quit it," whimpered Callie. "He's really freaking me out."

"Way ahead of you, babe," said Alex, as he pulled on his boxers. He unzipped the tent and stuck his head out.

"Hey, Jay, knock it—what the fuck?!"

Callie screamed as she watched the shadow lurch forward and grab Alex by the neck, yanking him into the air.

"Callie," Alex managed to cry out, "run!"

Callie didn't need to be told twice. She tore from the tent, and began running, still naked, toward the woods, in the direction she remembered Jay pointing when he'd mentioned Gravity Falls, the nearest town. She spared one glance over her shoulder and saw Alex staring after her, still held aloft by the neck. She looked forward once again, and the reality of what she'd just seen hit her.

"Oh, God," she gasped, feeling faint. His head had been facing her, but his body was facing the hulking monster holding him up. His neck had been snapped, and turned one-hundred and eighty degrees. Alex was dead.

Callie let out a strangled cry, as she heard the thud of Alex's body being tossed to the ground, and the animalistic roar and quick heavy footsteps of the beast pursuing its prey.

/

"Man, why's the black guy always gotta die first?" whined Wendy, frowning at Dipper's TV. "Stupid horror movie tropes."

Dipper chuckled and leaned back against the pillows of his bed, cuddling up to his girlfriend. "I don't know, I think one of the stupidest tropes is: 'Hey guys, see that creepy, abandoned place? Wouldn't it be cool to explore it?' That, or maybe, once they're in said creepy place: 'Let's split up, and some of us have sex!' Then they die."

Wendy nudged Dipper with her elbow. "Speaking of sex..." she pointed at the TV and waggled her eyebrows at him.

"Huh. I doubt fucking a she-demon would be as pleasant as this movie makes it look," observed Dipper, wryly.

"Well," Wendy murmured into his ear, "maybe you could take your chances with a fiery redhead, instead?"

Dipper shivered with pleasure as Wendy's breath tickled his neck. "Hmm, I may be able to do that," he replied, his voice husky. He placed his palm on Wendy's cheek and pulled her face to his, lightly nibbling on her lower lip before pressing his mouth forcefully against hers.

Wendy moaned softly against Dipper's mouth, and ran a hand through his mop of dark hair. Then she grabbed a bunch of his hair in a gentle fist, and tilted his head to the side. She pulled her lips from his, and lowered her face to the vulnerable curve of Dipper's neck, kissing his jumping pulse point; softly at first, then pressing into him until he began to pant and squirm.

"Wen-dy," he gasped, clutching at her back.

She responded by sitting up and peeling off her tank top. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath. Dipper stared at the perfection of her breasts in awe, feeling lightheaded. He heard a noise that his brain took a moment to process as Wendy speaking to him, and looked up to meet her eyes. He felt like he was melting under the intensity of her gaze.

"Sorry, what?" he mumbled, his eyes flicking back down to her chest, then back up to her face. He swallowed, and tried to ignore the fact that his jeans felt entirely too small at the moment.

Wendy reached out, and grabbed Dipper's hand. "I said, I want you to touch me." And she placed his hand on her breast.

"Hnnngh," groaned Dipper. He squeezed the soft, smooth flesh gently, and caressed Wendy's nipple with his thumb. It immediately hardened, and Wendy let out a sharp gasp as Dipper pulled her to him, lowered his head, and began to lick and suck at the nipple.

It was Wendy's turn to pant and squirm as Dipper turned his attention to her other breast, lightly grazing its nipple with his teeth.

Dipper's thoughts were muddled, but he managed to give voice to the clearest thought he could grasp at. He pulled away from Wendy's chest and placed his hand against her overly warm cheek.

"Are we—is this it? Are we really doing this?"

Wendy's answer was to smile seductively, looking up at Dipper from under her lashes, and reach for the button on his jeans.

Dipper's heart was racing. This was happening.

 _TAP TAP TAP._ "Hey guys?"

This was not happening. Mabel was at his door.

Wendy hastily pulled her tank top back on, her face a deep shade of crimson.

Dipper sighed. "Yeah, Mabes?" he called out.

"Sorry to bother, but Jessica just called me wondering why neither of you are answering your phones, and told me to remind you that it's a school night, and she wants Wendy home ASAP."

"Thanks for the message, Mabel," Wendy called through the door. She grabbed her phone, which had been set to silent. "Wow, she blew my phone up. I guess I better go."

Dipper swallowed back his disappointment with a smile, and stood up from the bed, holding a hand out to help Wendy up. She took it and stood, then threw her arms around Dipper, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Rain check?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she opened the door.

"Definitely," she said with a grin. "'Night, dork." She exited the room and nodded to Mabel, before hurrying down the stairs to leave.

"Wow," Mabel remarked, as she leaned against Dipper's door frame, her arms crossed. "Wendy's face was so red just now that her hair looked almost brown in comparison. Hope I wasn't, uh, interrupting anything."

Dipper felt his face grow warm. "Goodnight, Mabel," he said through gritted teeth, before firmly shutting the door in her face.

Mabel laughed from the other side. "'Night, Bromeo!"

/

Mabel giggled all the way down the stairs.

Lexie, sitting on the loveseat next to Gideon, looked up and grinned. "Okay, who are you laughing at, and why, because I want in on it."

"I think I just cockblocked my brother," chuckled Mabel. She skipped across the living room and plopped down on the sofa next to Pacifica, who leaned in to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek.

Gideon winced. "Yikes. Poor Dipper..."

"Bwahaha!" cackled Lexie. "That must be why Wendy rushed out of here looking like a ripe tomato."

"Speaking of rushing out," segued Gideon, "I need to be headin' out myself. I still have some homework to do tonight."

Lexie hopped up from the loveseat. "If you're out, I'm out. I doubt Dipper'll come back downstairs, and without you two around, there's a good chance Mabel and Paz will hold me down and braid my hair. Again." Her left eye twitched.

"Whatever, you know you liked it," said Pacifica with a smirk.

"Yeah, and you looked _fabulous_ ," added Mabel. "Oooohhh, I just got an idea—you should totally let us give you an updo for the dance next weekend!"

Lexie laughed a bit more loudly than the situation warranted. "Uh, yeah… definitely noping out, now. Later, lezzies!" She grabbed Gideon's hand and pulled him from his seat and across the room to the front door.

Mabel stuck out her tongue. "See you tomorrow, ye mangey curr."

Gideon flapped a hand at Mabel and Pacifica as he was unceremoniously yanked out the door.

The couple walked quietly in the shadow of the forest. The deep indigo sky darkened to black, as the stars winked to life one-by-one. Finally, Gideon broke the silence.

"So do you think I should let them give _me_ an updo for the dance?" he asked with a giggle, patting his shoulder-length white locks with his free hand.

Lexie snorted and elbowed him. "Hey, you do you, Gid." Then she paused, before continuing thoughtfully. "All joking aside, I've never told you this, but I think you look hot as fuck when you pull your hair back into a low ponytail."

Gideon arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh really? I'll keep that in mind. Incidentally, do you happen to have a hair tie on you, sugar?"

Lexie stopped walking, turned to face her boyfriend, and threw her arms around his neck. She leaned up and whispered against his mouth. "Why? You hoping to turn me on?"

Gideon tilted his head to the side and grinned. "That thought may have crossed my mind."

"Hmm," Lexie murmured, with a small smile. She dropped her arms to her sides and turned to continue walking.

Gideon stared after her for a moment, before trotting to catch her up. "'Hmm'? What does that mean?"

"I'm trying to play hard to get," Lexie answered. "Is it working?"

Gideon held out an arm to stop her in her tracks. "Oh, so the predator wants to pretend she's the prey, now?"

Lexie turned her head to smile slyly at him. "Just think of me as a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Gideon only hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip—then with a low growl, he grabbed Lexie's shoulders and pushed her into the shadow of the forest, until she was backed up against a tree trunk.

He pressed his body against hers, and brushed her hair aside, so that had better access to her neck. He moved his face from her earlobe to her collarbone, sniffing in her earthy, warm scent. Lexie let out a soft whimper as Gideon's warm breath caressed her skin. They weren't even kissing, yet this moment felt more intimate than anything they had done before.

Gideon smiled to himself. He could feel the rapid rise and fall of Lexie's chest against his, and hear her shallow, ragged breathing. She was normally very in control of herself. Unless— He leaned back slightly so that he could see her face. The eyes that stared longingly back into his were glowing a soft, amber color.

"Why sugar, it looks like your wolf wants to come out and play," Gideon murmured into her ear. "The question now is: are you gonna let her?"

Lexie struggled to speak. She wasn't physically changing—yet—but her primal mind was close to overpowering her rational mind.

"Gid," she whispered, her voice strained. "I—what if—"

Gideon cut her off by pressing his lips hard against hers and slipping his tongue into her mouth. Lexie groaned and lifted her hands to run her fingers through his hair while they kissed, occasionally making a fist and tugging.

As it normally did when she let the wolf drive her body, Lexie's sense of smell heightened. She detected Gideon's familiar smell: the forest floor, cloves, and roses—but there were additional notes to his scent that she had never noticed before. The smell of pennies and wood fire nearly eclipsed the rest of his scent. It wasn't unpleasant, but it _was_ puzzling.

Lexie's curiosity at the new scent pulled her out of the moment. She gently disengaged herself from Gideon's grasp, and smiled up at him.

"What's wrong, sugar?" asked Gideon, his voice low and breathy.

"Nothing, Gid," Lexie replied. "It's—it's just late, and you said you had homework..."

Gideon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I did say that, didn't I?"

Lexie nodded. "Yeah. You should probably go do that. Don't worry about walking me home." She grinned, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. "You of all people know I'm capable of taking care of myself."

Gideon smiled, and caressed her jaw line with the back of his hand. "That, I do. Goodnight, sugar."

Lexie leaned forward and kissed Gideon on the cheek, then turned in the direction of her house.

"'Night, Gideon," she said, smiling at him over her shoulder.

Gideon held up a hand and stared after her, his eyes glowing gold, with flecks of yellow and red mixed in, his pupils vertical slits. Lexie did a double-take. No, his eyes were normal. She'd probably just seen the reflection of moonlight in his eyes. She shook her head, convinced it was just a trick of the light, and continued on her way.

/

"Hey, 'Rora, you need any help cleaning up from dinner?" Mabel called from the living room. She was sprawled out on the sofa, her legs draped over Pacifica's lap.

"No, I'm almost done, but thank you!" Aurora yelled back over the clatter of dishes in the sink and the sound of running water.

"I feel bad that she's always doing all the cooking and housework," Mabel said more quietly, to Pacifica. "But she says she likes it—that it makes her feel useful."

Pacifica quirked her mouth up in a half smile and shrugged. "She didn't used to be as motherly before she gave up on seducing your brother. She probably keeps busy so she doesn't have time to feel sad." She trailed her fingers slowly up Mabel's shin, stopping at the knee.

Mabel shivered at her girlfriend's light touch. "I just hate that she's the only one of our group who isn't paired up with someone. I hope she's not lonely. She—" Mabel abruptly cut herself off as she heard footsteps heading toward them from the kitchen.

Aurora entered the room, wiping her wet hands on her jeans. She raised an eyebrow at the couple on the sofa. "It's getting late. Pacifica, aren't your parents expecting you home?"

Pacifica shook her head. "No, I told them I was staying the night at the Pines' so Mabel and I could work some more on our project for English class."

Aurora smirked. "Oh, you mean the project that you finished earlier this afternoon?"

Mabel's cheeks flushed crimson. "Well, it, uh, still needs some tweaking," she supplied weakly.

Aurora nodded. "Right," she said, her tone sarcastic. "Well, you two have fun 'studying.' Just try and get _some_ sleep, okay? You still have to get up for school tomorrow. I'm going to bed now." She turned and began trudging slowly up the stairs.

"Okay, _mom_ ," said Mabel, with a playful roll of her eyes. She sat up and grabbed Pacifica's hand, and they both stood from the sofa. "We'll be in my room. Goodnight 'Rora."

"Goodnight," echoed Pacifica, as she trailed behind Mabel.

After ushering Pacifica into her bedroom, Mabel shut the door behind them with a decisive click, locking it for good measure. She turned to face her girlfriend. Pacifica's cheeks were a charming shade of pink, and she giggled nervously.

"It just occurred to me how little we actually get to be alone, with privacy," Pacifica murmured.

Mabel nodded. "That's why I asked you to spend the night." She grinned mischievously. "It's a good thing your parents still think you're straight, and that we're just besties."

Pacifica took Mabel's hand, and led her to the bed. They sat on the edge of the mattress, still holding hands.

"You're trembling, Mabes," Pacifica said, smiling up at Mabel from under her eyelashes. "Are you nervous?"

Mabel giggled weakly. "Not nervous, Paz. I'm shaking because I'm trying to hold myself back from just pinning you to the bed and having my way with you."

Pacifica pulled her hand from Mabel's grasp, and trailed her fingers slowly up her girlfriend's jean-clad thigh. "So what's stopping you?"

Mabel groaned and turned toward Pacifica, taking her by the shoulders, and pushing her back onto the bed. She straddled Pacifica's lap, grinding slowly into her pelvis.

Pacifica's breathing became ragged, and she reached up to pull Mabel against her, then maneuvered their bodies so that they were laying fully on the bed, and somehow, to Mabel's surprise, Pacifica was on top.

"Or maybe I'll have _my_ way with _you_ ," Pacifica whispered, as she lowered her head to Mabel's, and the two met in a passionate kiss.

"I'm okay with either/or," Mabel mumbled. She pressed her mouth forcefully against Pacifica's, then parted her lips slightly, and moaned at the gentle probing of her girlfriend's soft tongue against her own. Pacifica grinded her hips into Mabel's, and Mabel responded by thrusting back up, and sliding her hands under Pacifica's tank top, running them over her curves and the hardened tips of her nipples.

Pacifica pushed herself up, and pulled off her tank top, laughing at the look on Mabel's face.

"God, you're hot," breathed Mabel.

Pacifica shot her girlfriend double finger guns. "Right back atcha!"

Mabel giggled, and maneuvered her own shirt off, and quickly unsnapped her bra, tossing it aside. She gasped in surprise as Pacifica leaned down and took a puffy nipple in her mouth, while gently kneading her other breast.

Mabel's eyes rolled back and she mewled with pleasure, mumbling incoherently. Pacifica pulled her mouth from Mabel's nipple long enough to ask "What was that?"

Mabel giggled faintly and placed her hand on the back of Pacifica's head, pushing it back down, so her girlfriend's warm mouth once again covered her nipple.

"I said, best sleepover _ever_."

/

After a very sullen Wendy arrived home and had gone to bed, Jessica Corduroy let herself into Ollie's old bedroom, intent on looking through the various tomes about magic that he'd left scattered around. If she was going to be training with the kids, she needed to find out what was going on with Dipper and Gideon's powers. Neither had been able to do much at all since the night their mentor had died. Jessica's trip to the Cavern of the Stars had been for naught, so she hoped she'd find helpful information in one of Ollie's books.

Jessica shut the door behind her, and when she turned to face the room she had to swallow back a sob. Neither she nor Wendy had entered the room in the two weeks since Ollie died, so it was just as he'd left it. His clothes were scattered over the floor, and several books lay open on his bed, on top of sheets and blankets that were rumpled, as if expecting their occupant to return for a good night's sleep. The pillow was still indented in the middle, where Ollie had normally rested his head.

Jessica staggered toward the bed, tears running freely down her cheeks. She pushed aside the books and climbed between the sheets, resting her head on the pillow. It smelled like him. Laying on his bed, under his thick comforter, Jessica felt almost like Ollie was there, giving her a hug. She pressed her face into his pillow, letting it soak up her tears.

"I miss you, Ollie," she whispered, closing her eyes.

Jessica wasn't sure how long she lay motionless in Ollie's bed, hugging his comforter. She may even have dozed off for a bit. Finally she sat up and stretched, remembering her original reason for entering his room. Jessica picked up one of the books he'd left on his bed, and examined the page it had been left open on. It was written in a language she wasn't familiar with. She sighed and sat the book aside, then picked up another of the open books. This one _was_ written in English. She turned it over to glance at the cover. Its title was _Cataclysm:_ _How to Overcome Obstacles in the Practice of Magic_.

"Paydirt," she whispered. She turned to the table of contents, and scanned the chapter headings. She smiled as she read the title of chapter seven: "Regaining Lost Abilities." She turned to the page indicated, and began reading.

 _In times of great stress, either mental or physical, a practitioner of magic may find that they no longer seem to possess the ability_ _to channel and manipulate magical energies. This is rarely permanent. Major life changes, life-threatening injuries, and shocks to a practitioner's system will sometimes_ _cause their magical pathways to be_ _come_ _blocked. These blocks can usually be removed with intense meditation and practice, but if the block persists, it is possible to bypass the barriers and reroute the conduits of magical energy. If the pathways are rerouted, the practitioner's abilities may not be the same as they were before they became blocked. However, the practitioner should still be capable of manipulating magical energy of the same level of intensity as they could before being blocked._

Jessica thumbed quickly through the rest of the chapter. This was just the kind of thing she was looking for. She had expected to have to really dig to find the information she needed. What were the odds that Ollie would have left the exact book she needed laying on his bed before he died? She yawned, and dog-eared the page chapter seven began on before closing the book with a snap. She'd read it in more depth tomorrow. She got up and opened the door to go to her own bedroom. She turned off the light, and before closing the door, whispered into the darkness.

"Thank you, Ollie."

/

Thursday the 12th 

The sunrise cast a weak, watery glow over the landscape around Gravity Falls High School, peeking reluctantly in through the blinds of the guidance department as Mr. Faust shambled slowly toward his office. He would have at least an hour of quiet in which to work before other faculty members began arriving for the day.

He sat down in his chair with a thump and a sigh, then pulled his tablet out of his briefcase. A red light was blinking on the side, eliciting a malevolent grin from the old man. He turned the screen on, and swiped to the alert.

"An unusual police report, quite unusual," he muttered to himself, instinctually bringing his hand up to stroke his beard as was his habit, before remembering, with a disgusted grunt, that he had shaved it off in order to obtain the job at the high school. He mumbled to himself as he read the report.

"Young adult female, possibly delirious—naked? Indeed. Claims a monster (or ghost? From a campfire story?) killed her companions, chased her through woods… Camp Translucent Pond? Hmmm."

Faust swiped away from the police report, and opened a file containing a spreadsheet.

"No, I didn't think so—not one of mine. Interesting. This requires further inquiry."

He swiped at the tablet screen again, opening a different program. His fingers flew over the device furiously, as he input research parameters.

Faust nodded to himself, a smirk spreading across his withered face. "Aaand we release the bait," he said happily, tapping a button on the screen with his index finger. "Let's see if we can't lure the beast closer to town… Perhaps it will take care of those meddling teenagers. Trouble always seems to find them."

The old man chuckled darkly to himself. If his lure worked, he may not have to dirty his hands after all.

/

Though the sun was rising, the forest was still dim. Scattered, pearly wisps of fog slowly dissipated, as light began to filter in through the treetops. The stillness of the morning was broken by a guttural roar, and heavy footsteps crashing through underbrush, heading in the direction of Gravity Falls; more specifically, toward Gravity Falls High School.

/

Mr. Faust was discussing college applications with a senior when his tablet began frantically beeping. He held up his finger, and pulled the tablet from his desk drawer, quickly turning the screen on.

"One moment," he told the confused student. He stared down at the CCTV footage being fed to his tablet from his command center at home, the corners of his mouth twitching upward with what he saw. A hulking, humanoid form tore through the woods outside of town, sticking to the shadows, making a beeline for the high school. Its skin was covered in severe scarring, probably from third degree burns, and a white hockey mask appeared to be fused to its face.

"Oh, cursed mask?" murmured Faust. "Dislike of light—hunts at night, then?"

The student sitting across from him shifted in his chair nervously. "Um, sorry, what?"

Faust's head shot up, his eyes wide. He'd forgotten there was a student in his office.

"Oh, my apologies. It's nothing," he uttered quickly. "I'm afraid I'll need to reschedule our little chat—something urgent has come up." He stood up from his desk, tablet in hand, and rushed past the student, to his office door, and opened it. "Please return to class," he said, as the student stood.

Faust held the door open for the student, then slipped out behind him, and made for the locked stairwell that led to the boiler room in the basement. He unlocked it with his master key, and rushed down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs, he paused to look at the tablet once again. The creature was making ridiculous time, and would be at the high school well before the sun started to set.

If Faust's theory was right, the creature did not like to be out in broad daylight, and preferred to hunt in the evenings. The low-frequency signal he'd sent out from the football stadium loudspeakers had lured it toward town at a time of day when it wouldn't usually be out. Faust wanted to control the conditions of what he now thought of as his "experiment," and did not particularly care for the idea of mass carnage at his place of work. A few, select deaths, however, would be acceptable.

Faust quickly strode across the dim boiler room and found what he was looking for—the fire door that exited directly to the outdoors (an open-air concrete stairwell led from the outside of the exit to ground level). This part of the building faced the football stadium and athletic fields, which were both directly next to the forest. Faust grinned. This couldn't have been a more perfect set-up if he'd planned it.

Faust quickly hacked into the school's security system and disabled the alarm on the basement fire door, replacing the high pitched buzzing that the alarm normally emitted with the low-frequency lure. After double-checking that everything was correct, he opened the door, using a cinderblock to keep it propped.

He swiped back to the CCTV feed on the tablet, and chuckled. The creature would be here soon. He trotted back up the basement stairs, more spry than he appeared, and shut and locked the door behind him. He would come back after school, once he'd made sure that certain people were still in the building to be the monster's prey, and open the door, unleashing the full wrath of the beast upon them.

Faust smiled and tapped the tips of his fingers together. "Soon."

/

After an uneventful morning, Dipper, Wendy and Aurora walked to the cafeteria, sat down, and opened their lunch bags as they waited for the rest of their group. The GFHS cafeteria was loud and chaotic as usual. Lexie plopped down across from Dipper. Gideon stood behind Lexie with a hand on her shoulder.

"I gotta go buy, sugar," he drawled, before squeezing her shoulder and turning to get in the hot lunch line.

Mabel slid into the seat on Lexie's left, across from Wendy, while Pacifica sat next to her, and across from Aurora.

"So, dresses," Wendy said abruptly.

Lexie lifted an eyebrow. "Um, are we just saying random nouns? Avocado."

Wendy snorted. "Dork. _Dresses_ , as in for the dance, as in the shopping for and purchase thereof."

Lexie sighed and took a bite of her roast beef sandwich. She chewed and swallowed before saying "I don't need to go shopping. I already have a dress."

Pacifica leaned over and looked past Mabel to address Lexie. "You already bought a dress for the _dance_? Or do you mean you have _a_ dress, as in the singular—one, like, all-purpose dress?"

"I have _a_ dress. You all've seen it. I wore it to..." she paused, and glanced at Wendy. "Uh, to...Two weeks ago."

Wendy gave Lexie a half-smile. "It's okay, you can say 'funeral' in front of me."

Dipper, in an attempt to be a part of the conversation, blurted out. "Oh, yeah, you looked really hot in that dress, Lex."

Lexie facepalmed as Wendy elbowed Dipper in the ribs and glared at him.

Dipper's face reddened, and he stammered, "I mean, hot, like, warm...too warm."

Wendy shook her head, and smiled wryly. "Nice try, but her dress was sleeveless, dude."

Mabel giggled. "Dipper thinks you're hot, Lexie!"

"He's not wrong," said an unfamiliar male voice to Lexie's right. She turned, startled. It was the werewolf boy she'd noticed the other day. The one who had howled while she and Wendy were sparring, which distracted her, and caused her to get clocked in the jaw by Wendy's fierce uppercut. He sat comfortably next to Lexie as if he'd been invited.

Lexie leaned away from him and eyed him with suspicion. He was good-looking, and he knew it. He had a lean, athletic build, sun-kissed skin, and his black hair was swept back from the widow's peak on his forehead. Who in real life even _has_ widow's peak? When Lexie glanced at his eyes, she bit the inside of her bottom lip. His eyes were a warm amber color.

"My name is Denis," he said, holding out his hand for Lexie to shake. "I just moved here."

Lexie stared at his hand pointedly, and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's nice and all, but I'm saving that seat for my boyfriend."

Denis shrugged and retracted his hand, utterly unaffected. "The pale dude with the white hair, right?" he asked. "No offense, but a hottie like you could do so much better than that weirdo." He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "You should be with someone who is… like you. Like us." He reached out and gently trailed his fingers over her cheek.

Lexie jerked away. She wanted to punch the asshole, but she was afraid that attacking him would bring out her wolf. It was already uncomfortably close to the surface—her sense of smell was beginning to intensify. She turned her face away from Denis and looked down at her lunchbox, trembling in anger.

The group sat stunned. They were used to Lexie fighting her own battles, and weren't sure what it meant that this new kid had her so on guard.

Finally Dipper spoke, his voice low. "Dude, you're being a creeper. She clearly doesn't want you next to her. You need to go sit elsewhere."

Denis smirked and held his hands up. "Whoa, man, didn't mean to intrude on your harem fantasy."

Disgusted noises erupted from the table's occupants, the loudest objections coming from Mabel and Pacifica: "Gross, he's my brother!" and "I don't even like guys!"

The mention of a harem clearly struck a nerve with Dipper. He shot to his feet, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Leave. _Now_ ," Dipper spat, through gritted teeth.

Denis smiled lazily and propped his chin up on his hand, the picture of nonchalance. "Or what?" He glanced down at Dipper's fists, where the tiniest flicker of silver rift energy was barely visible. "You'll give me a static shock?"

"Uh, what's going on?" Gideon stood behind the table, a lunch tray in his hands. He stared at the irate Dipper, then turned his gaze to Lexie. She looked like she was trying to fold inward on herself, as she trembled and gripped the fabric of her jeans with her fingernails, digging into the flesh of her thighs. "Are you okay, sugar?"

Before she could answer, Denis spoke up. "Oh, she's fine," he said, slinging an arm over Lexie's shoulders. " _So_ fine."

Lexie let out a strangled growl and threw his arm off her, then leapt to her feet. In her haste to put distance between herself and Denis she tripped over Mabel's chair legs and went sprawling on the cafeteria floor. Mabel and Pacifica gasped and leaned over to try and help her up, but she jerked away from them, her wild eyes glowing yellow. She scrambled to her feet, and ran toward the cafeteria doors. Mabel and Pacifica stood up to follow her, but Aurora cleared her throat.

"It is best that I go after her," she said softly. She got up and trotted after Lexie.

Denis whistled softly as he stared after them. "What a _crazy_ bitch. I bet she fucks like a wild animal." He looked up at Gideon and smirked. "Not that'd you'd know."

Gideon didn't even think to use magic—in one swift movement he dumped the contents of his lunch tray on the floor and swung it at Denis's head. It connected with a dull thwack, but he didn't seem fazed. His eyes flashed bright yellow as he slowly stood and turned to face Gideon. Denis's back was to Dipper, and Dipper seized the opportunity to throw himself across the table, grab Denis by the back of the neck, and begin pummeling him.

Denis seemed scarily unaffected by the barrage of blows. He pulled out of Dipper's grasp, then shot forward to grab Gideon by the arm. He swung Gideon around in a move so fluid that it looked choreographed, and sent him hurtling into Dipper.

"BREAK IT UP!" cried an adult. It was Mr. Faust, the guidance counselor. He stepped between Denis and his adversaries, with his hands on his hips. "Fighting will _not_ be tolerated! Mr. Gleeful, Mr. Pines, and—" he blinked at Denis for a moment, his gaze resting on the youth's glowing yellow eyes. He let out a noise that sounded like a choked giggle. "I don't believe we've met?"

Denis stared down his nose at the guidance counselor. "You're right, we haven't. I'm new. Name's Denis Wolfe."

Mr. Faust nodded, his mouth twitching. "Wolfe. I see. Well, Mr. Wolfe, I don't know how things were done at your old school, but physical confrontation is absolutely unacceptable. You three will report to me after school for detention."

"Whatever," said Denis. He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered away, as if he hadn't a care in the world. Mr. Faust shook his head, and wandered off, looking vaguely pleased about something.

"What an asshole," muttered Wendy, staring after Denis.

Gideon's cheeks were a brilliant shade of scarlet, their contrast to his pale skin causing him to resemble a porcelain doll. He was breathing heavily, trying to force down the murderous rage that Denis had caused in him.

"His eyes—y'all, did Lexie mention there was another werewolf at school to any of you?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"And his last name is _Wolfe_ ," Wendy scoffed. "That's a little too fucking on-the-nose."

Dipper frowned. "I don't like him."

Mabel shrugged with her palms up. "Maybe you'll like him after you get to know him in detention?"

Pacifica sighed and shook her head. "I love you, hon, but sometimes you are just _too_ optimistic."

/

As the last bell of the day rang, signaling the end of school, Wendy and Lexie hung back and stood at the entrance to the counseling offices, to say goodbye to their boyfriends. Mabel, Pacifica, and Aurora went on ahead to wait for the girls in the parking lot.

Wendy leaned against the wall next to Dipper, her arms crossed over her chest. "Man, I can't believe Strauss gave you detention. Lame."

Dipper glanced sidelong at her and grinned, nudging her with an elbow. "You're just mad you didn't get a chance to jump into the fray before the fight got broken up."

A smile spread across Wendy's face, and she playfully shoved him back. "You know me too well, dork."

A few feet away, Lexie was giving Gideon a hug, her face buried in his shoulder.

"Are you sure I can't sit in detention with you?" she mumbled. "They're taking me _dress shopping_."

Gideon chuckled. "Sorry, sugar, but that's probably not a good idea, seeing as the asshole who almost made you hulk out in the cafeteria is going to be in there too. You really wanna sit in the same room as him for two hours?"

Lexie grimaced. "Ugh. No." She pulled back from Gideon and sniffed the air. Her eyes narrowed. "Speak of the devil," she said, just as Denis rounded the corner toward them. He saw Lexie looking at him and shot her a cheeky wink.

An uncomfortable feeling rose up from the pit of Lexie's stomach. "Welp, time to go dress shopping," she said quickly. She leaned forward and pecked Gideon on the lips, before grabbing Wendy's arm and pulling her in the direction of the parking lot.

"Later dorks," Wendy called over her shoulder.

Dipper and Gideon turned to face Denis, and were met with the sight of him staring after their girlfriends like he was appraising the breeding value of livestock. He smiled blandly. "So how'd you do it?" he asked suddenly, meeting Gideon's eyes.

Gideon blinked at him, confused and annoyed by both the question, and the casual tone in which it was asked. "How did I do _what_?"

Denis chuckled. "How'd _you_ manage to bag that feisty little minx? I mean, she's hot as _fuck_ , and you're, well," he held a hand palm out toward Gideon. "So what was it? Witchy mojo? Love spell? Some kind of charm that makes her see you as good-looking?"

Both Dipper and Gideon started toward Denis menacingly, only to be stopped short by a polite cough from behind them.

"Ah, ah, ah," said Mr. Strauss, shaking a bony finger at them from the counseling office doorway. "What did I say about physical confrontation? If you even _think_ about breaking out in a tussle, I will be forced to give you an entire week of detention. Now come along."

Mr. Strauss shuffled down the hallway and waved for them to follow. Dipper and Gideon waited for Denis to follow first. They didn't want to give him the advantage of being behind them.

The old man led them to a tiny classroom near the cafeteria, which looked like it hadn't been renovated since the school was built in the 1940s. There were only five desks in the room—the old-fashioned style where the chair and desk are connected as one piece of furniture—and they were all bolted to the floor, facing a large wooden teacher's desk, and chalkboard.

Dipper entered the room, then blinked quickly, and stuck his head back out the door to look up and down the hallway.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Pines?" Mr. Strauss intoned nasally from his seat at the teacher's desk.

Dipper shook his head. "I guess not. Gravity Falls is a weird place, and I've never seen this classroom before—I just wanted to make sure we didn't somehow travel backward in time or something."

Mr. Strauss smiled, showing off long, yellow teeth. "And is that something that you think is...likely to happen?"

Dipper frowned and didn't reply. He chose a desk and slumped down in it, dropping his backpack next to it with a soft thud.

Gideon nudged Dipper with his foot as he sat down in the desk on Dipper's right. He pointed to the corners of the room. "They didn't have security cameras in the 1940s. If not for that, I'd be concerned about time travel as well."

Denis snorted as he settled himself in the desk to Dipper's left. "You're both delusional."

Dipper opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Mr. Strauss.

"Ah, good eye, Mr. Gleeful. Indeed, this room is wired for picture and sound. I have access to the footage on my tablet here," the old man said, standing up and pulling the device from the inside pocket of his suit coat. "I have things to do, and can't be expected to sit here and babysit you for two hours. There will be no talking during detention. You may work on homework or read a book. I will now confiscate your phones, and will return them to you when detention is over."

"What?! You can't take our phones," objected Denis. "They're our personal property."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Denis," said Dipper.

Gideon nodded grudgingly. "Me too."

Mr. Strauss threw his head back and cackled. "I think you'll find that I can," he said, with a malevolent grin. "You are being _punished_. Can't have you browsing websites and texting your friends." Suddenly his expression became utterly serious, all traces of mirth gone in an instant. "Phones, now," he said, his voice low. "I'll not have disobedience."

Stunned at Mr. Strauss's change in demeanor, the three boys silently handed over their phones. The old man nodded curtly at them and left the room, closing the door behind him. Once it was shut, there was an almost imperceptible whisper of metal on metal, and a soft click.

Dipper's eyes widened, and he looked from Gideon to Denis before stammering, "Did—did he just lock us in?"

/

"What about this one?" Mabel's voice accompanied the thwap of fabric as she tossed a hot pink dress over Lexie's fitting room door.

Lexie stood in the center of the dress-filled cubicle in only her bra and underwear, staring at herself in the mirror, feeling completely overwhelmed.

"Well?" Mabel called from the other side of the door. "C'mon Lexie, you have to at least have tried one on by now. Let's see it!"

Lexie heaved a sigh and chose a dress from among the mass of fabric at random. It was a leopard print mini-dress. She slipped it on, looked at herself in the mirror, and regretted the choice immediately. The dress was so tight that it clung to her body like a second skin. She thrust open the fitting room door, and stood with her hands on her hips.

"Okay, who thought _this_ would be a good idea?" she asked, glancing from Mabel to Aurora. Wendy and Pacifica were trying dresses on in the adjoining fitting rooms.

Aurora meekly held up her hand, attempting to hide a small smile. "I figured, you're wild—it's a wild dress—animal print and all..."

Lexie shook her head. "I'm a _wolf_ , not a cat. And a mini-dress? A _tight_ mini-dress? Get me a pair of hooker heels, and guys'll be offering me twenty bucks to accompany me into the janitor's closet." She ran a hand through her hair, and sighed.

"I don't know, of all of us, you're probably the only one who could actually pull off hooker heels," said Pacifica, who had just emerged from her fitting room in a floor-length, dark blue satin dress. She eyed Lexie up and down. "Seriously, you'd be hot."

"Paz!" hissed Mabel, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Pacifica laughed. "No worries, Mabes. I'm just appreciating the aesthetics. Besides, I'm not a, uh, dog person."

Lexie raised an eyebrow and flashed Pacifica a toothy grin. "Are you sure, Paz? Cause you're definitely a bitch."

"Pfff, not going to even dignify that with a response," said Pacifica, as she strolled to the three-way mirror next to the fitting rooms.

Mabel sidled up next to her girlfriend and slipped an arm around her waist, staring into the mirror, admiring how well the dress hugged Pacifica's curves. "I like this one," she whispered so that only Pacifica could hear her.

Pacifica leaned her head on Mabel's shoulder. "Me too," she murmured. "I think I'll get it. But not to wear to the dance. I've already picked out what I'm wearing. It's hanging in my closet at home."

"Wait, so I'm not gonna get to see it beforehand?" pouted Mabel. "No fair!"

Pacifica smiled and placed a soft kiss on Mabel's mouth. She could feel Mabel's lips twitching upward at the corners.

"Aren't you going to try any on?" asked Pacifica, trying to steer the conversation away from her own dance attire.

"What?" Mabel asked breathily. She was holding her fingers to her lips, a dreamy look on her face. "Oh, no… making mine. Lots of sequins..."

Pacifica bit her lower lip, and traced a finger along Mabel's jawline. She loved it when she was able to make Mabel melt with a single kiss.

"Hey Mabes," she whispered. "I need some help in my dressing room… zippers and stuff… you know."

Mabel raised a questioning eyebrow at Pacifica, before her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh—" she began, but was cut off by Pacifica yanking her back through the fitting rooms, and into her stall.

Aurora sat in an overstuffed chair near the three-way mirror, and absently played with her wooden puzzle box. It was the perfect fidget for when she was bored. And she was very bored. She'd enjoyed helping pick out the dresses for her friends to try on, but that part of the shopping trip was over.

Wendy emerged from her fitting room wearing a teal, retro-style swing dress with a crinoline underneath. "Hey 'Rora," she called, "Can you help me? I can't reach the zipper."

Aurora stood up and tucked the puzzle box in her bag, before heading over to Wendy.

"This dress looks fantastic on you," Aurora said, her eyes wide with awe. "Dipper will lose his mind!" She finished zipping the dress, and spun Wendy around to get another look at her.

"You think?" Wendy asked, doubt in her voice. "I'm not really a dress person."

Aurora took Wendy by the shoulders and steered her over to the three-way mirror. "Look at yourself, silly!" she chided. "This dress fits like it was _made_ for you. Do you think it's the one?"

Wendy stared at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked good. Very good. She shrugged. "I have a couple more to try on, but you're right, it's super flattering." She glanced around at the dressing rooms and a realization hit her.

"You didn't pick out any dresses for yourself. Don't you want to try some on for the dance?" she asked Aurora.

Aurora sighed. "I have not decided whether or not I will be going," she admitted.

"What?! You have to come!" cried Lexie, who had just emerged from her fitting room wearing a slinky black dress. She frowned at Aurora with her fists on her hips. "Why wouldn't you?"

Aurora glanced at Wendy, then quickly looked away, as she said, "I do not have a date. I am the only one of our group without a significant other. I don't want to be the odd one out all night."

Wendy's cheeks took on a pink tinge. "Aurora, I—"

Aurora held up a hand and stopped her. "Do not worry, Wendy. I am not jealous of you and Dipper anymore. I just will not have anyone to dance with all evening. I would feel awkward simply watching everyone else."

Lexie grinned. "Hell, Aurora, _I'll_ dance with you. We all will. You're coming."

"Hey, I've got it!" Wendy laughed. "Ask Denis the Wolfe to be your date! If he can get over his hots for Lexie, that is."

Lexie nodded and patted Aurora's shoulder. "If you want to take him, I give you my blessing—but I'll stay on the opposite side of the dance floor."

"No _thank you_ ," said Aurora, with a roll of her eyes. "I meant to ask you earlier, do you know him? He seemed _awfully_ familiar with you. Is he a member of your grandfather's pack?"

"Nope." Lexie shrugged. "The first time I've seen him around was at our after school training the other day."

"Dude, why didn't you say something then?" asked Wendy. "It would have been nice to know there was another furry around."

Lexie tugged at the hem of her dress. "I didn't want to out him," she answered. "There's kind of an unwritten code we have—if you come across an unfamiliar werewolf in a public place, and they're in their human form, it's a courtesy to speak to them in private before mentioning it to anyone else. Most werewolves who aren't living in packs often want to pass as human."

Wendy snorted. "His last name is _Wolfe_. I think it's safe to say he's not worried about passing as human."

"Do you think he'll try to out _you_?" asked Aurora. "I mean, to people at school and stuff. We know you're a werewolf, but you haven't told any other students or teachers, besides Wendy's mom, right?"

"He better fucking not," growled Lexie. "If he does, I'll rip his throat out."

Wendy held her hands up. "Okay, that got dark quick. Uh, how about we go back to trying on dresses for our totally normal high school dance?"

The corners of Lexie's mouth twitched upward. "Good idea."

She could hear Wendy and Aurora begin to whisper to each other as she let herself back into her fitting room. She was divesting herself of the black dress when there was a loud thump against the wall of her cubicle, accompanied by a breathy moan.

"Oh, for fuck sake," she muttered to herself. She pulled her cellphone from her bag and sent a text to Gideon.

 _Ugh._ _Mabel and Paz getting freaky in the fitting room next to mine. Send help._

/

"What time is it? Why's there no clock in here?" complained Denis loudly. He glanced out the window. "The sun's starting to set."

Dipper shrugged, and went back to doodling in his notebook.

"Shh," shushed Gideon, whose face was buried in an SAT prep book.

"Seriously?" Denis scoffed. "For magic users, you two are really fucking lame."

Gideon frowned and turned the page in his book.

Dipper glanced up at the camera in the corner of the room, and then looked at Denis and said quietly, "I'm not going to deny it, but our magic use isn't really common knowledge around here. How the hell do you know about it?"

"You smell funny."

Dipper arched an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Denis rolled his eyes. "Wolf nose. The smell of magic lingers long after its use, and you two reek of it. I'm surprised Lexie hasn't told you. You smell especially strange, Whitey," he added. "I can't figure you out."

Gideon snapped his book closed, and turned in his seat to face Dipper and Denis. "Fine, I'll take the bait," he said, his voice flat. "What's so strange about the way I smell?"

"Well, at first I thought you might be a werewolf, too," said Denis. "But the smell is faint. Then when I realized that you and the bitch are an item, I thought maybe I was just smelling her on you. But that's not it. I clearly smell your magic use, but there's also a werewolf undertone, and a smokey smell, like burning. And a metallic smell. Blood? Seriously, what the hell are you?"

Gideon stood up from his desk, and stared down at Denis, his arms crossed over his chest. "I'll tell you what I am. I am tired of listening to you." He looked up at the camera in the corner of the room and bellowed, "Mr. Faust it's been two hours. We'd be much obliged if you'd unlock the door so we can leave."

Dipper leaned back in his seat and stretched. "The old man probably fell asleep. If he's not here in five minutes we should bust the door down."

Denis stood up and grinned maliciously. "Why wait?" As he strode over to the door his features morphed slightly, and he became more wolfish. He rattled the doorknob once, then wrenched the door open with brute strength. The door frame splintered, and bits of old wood crashed to the floor, echoing in the empty hallways of the school building.

Dipper got to his feet and peered over Denis's shoulder. "Why are all the lights off? D'you think Faust forgot about us and left?"

Before Gideon or Denis could reply, a deep, guttural roar echoed through the darkened halls.

"What the fuck is that?" breathed Gideon.

Denis lifted his face and sniffed the air, his whole body tensing up. "Trouble. _Really big_ trouble." He turned to Dipper and Gideon, and gave them a mock salute. "Later, losers," he said, before turning and running down the hall toward the front doors of the school.

Dipper and Gideon started after him, but Gideon stopped short. "Wait, Dip, the closest exit is just down the hall, on the other side of the cafeteria," he hissed, waving for Dipper to follow him.

Dipper turned to look back at Gideon, and his eyes widened in horror. "GID, LOOK OUT!" he cried, as a hulking shadow loomed out of the darkness behind his friend. Gideon looked back, and what he saw barely had a chance to register, before he was under attack. A fragile, utterly useless, rose-colored bubble of magic formed around Gideon, and immediately dissipated as the monster swung his massive fists at the boy. Gideon crumpled to the ground from the force of the blow that hit him.

"NO!" shouted Dipper. He tried to summon the rift, but only the tiniest shimmer of silver fire appeared around his hands, before flickering out.

The monster emitted a wet, evil chuckle, grabbed Gideon's hair, and began dragging the unconscious boy toward an open door down the hall—the one that led to the boiler room in the basement.

Dipper bit his lip. He couldn't take on this—whatever it was—without the rift. He'd go down as easily as Gideon had. His only option was to go for help. He turned away, and ran full tilt toward the front of the school. When he got to the front doors, he tried to pull one open, but it wouldn't budge. He tried another. It wouldn't open either. He tried all four of the front doors, pulling as hard as he could, but they didn't even rattle.

"They won't open," said a voice behind Dipper, causing him to jump. Denis walked up next to him, and placed his palm against the glass of one of the doors. "They're not just locked—they're sealed, magically. Some kind of barrier. Same with all the windows I've tried. From the smell of it, the whole school is magically sealed. I would have realized it earlier if I hadn't been locked in a small room with you and Whitey. Your magic was all I could smell. Where is he, anyway? Whitey?"

Dipper gave another futile pull on one of the doors. "That _thing_ knocked him out and dragged him away," he said, his voice shaking. "We have to get help!"

"Hold up," said Denis, his tone of voice more casual than the situation warranted. "Why didn't you guys fight back with your stank magic? The scent of it that lingers on you tells me that you're pretty damn powerful. You too scared? You get choked up?"

Dipper glared at him. "It's a long story. We need to get help. I'm gonna try one of the office phones."

"Right, well, while you do that, I'm gonna go hunt the monster that dragged off your lame-ass friend."

Denis sauntered off, while Dipper shook his head and let himself into the main office. He picked up the phone behind the secretary's desk, but there was no dial tone. He slammed the receiver down in frustration. He tried all the office phones in quick succession, but it appeared that the school's phone line had been cut.

"Stupid Faust," Dipper muttered. "Took our cell phones..." His eyes widened. Faust probably had put their phones in his office for safekeeping. He ran back out into the hallway, and toward the counseling offices. The halls were eerily silent, his footsteps echoing off the walls.

Just as Dipper reached the guidance office and put his hand on the doorknob, the silence was broken. The monster's deep roar seemed to come from everywhere at once. The roar was followed quickly by a high-pitched yelp, and a thud, like a body hitting a wall. For one heart-stopping moment, Dipper thought it was Lexie who had let out the wolf-like yelp of pain. Then he remembered that Denis was also a werewolf.

Dipper was conflicted. He wanted to go for their cell phones, but it felt wrong to not help Denis—even though he was an asshole.

The roaring and yelping continued, and it sounded like the fight was moving his way. Dipper had to decide what to do, and quickly. He held out his fist and concentrated on shaping a sword from the negligible flicker of silver rift fire he was able to summon. Nothing happened. He sighed and closed his eyes, to attempt summoning the sword again, but he was interrupted by the sound of panting and canine toenails clicking against the floor at a fast clip, closely followed by heavy footsteps and a deep, guttural growl.

A large, black wolf, presumably Denis, came careening around the corner. He was looking back over his shoulder, and was moving too quickly for Dipper to react.

Wolf-Denis collided with Dipper, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle of legs, just as the hulking monster rounded the corner, a machete gripped tightly in its enormous fist.

/

It was early evening when the girls finally piled in Pacifica's car in the mall parking lot, after filling the trunk with their bags of purchases.

"Ugh, and shopping is supposed to be fun?" Lexie asked nobody in particular from the backseat, as she buckled herself in. "I'm seriously drained. My five-mile run through the woods doesn't leave me this exhausted." She sighed and slouched down in her seat, closing her eyes.

Wendy scooted into the middle of the backseat, and shrugged, as Aurora slid in behind her and shut the door. "It's a different kind of tired than exercise, though," Wendy observed. "Like, a weariness. Social exhaustion."

"Exhaustion? Weariness? Pffft!" scoffed Pacifica, as she turned the key in the ignition. "Shopping makes me feel _alive_."

Mabel giggled. "I love it, but Dipper's like you guys. He _hates_ trying on clothes," she said, turning her head in an attempt to look at Lexie and Wendy. "Speaking of my bro-bro, have you heard from him lately, Wendy? How'd detention go?"

"Dunno," said Wendy. "I was busy, so we haven't texted all afternoon." She pulled out her phone and began typing a text to her boyfriend. Next to her, Lexie stared at her own phone with a perplexed frown.

"I texted Gid earlier—a couple hours ago," said Lexie, "and I haven't heard back. I didn't think about it because I was in the middle of trying on dresses, but that's kind of weird for him. Not to be all 'overly-attached-girlfriend' or anything, but it's not like him to not text me back."

"They _were_ in detention," said Aurora pragmatically. "Their phones were probably confiscated."

"Yeah, but it's late," pointed out Lexie. "They should be out by now. Gid would have responded when he got his phone back. I'm just gonna call him."

She hit Gideon's auto-dial, and held the phone up to her ear.

"You've got Gid! Leave me a message."

Lexie ended the call. "It went straight to voicemail. Wendy, can you tell if Dipper's read your text yet?"

Wendy stared at the phone, the screen's blue light casting a ghostly glow on her pale face. "It just says 'sent.' Not even 'delivered.' That's weird."

Up in the front seat, Mabel pulled her phone from her ear and ended the call she had made. "Dipper's phone went straight to voicemail, too. Something doesn't feel right. My spidey sense is tingling."

"Maybe their batteries died, or they forgot to turn their phones back on," suggested Aurora weakly.

Lexie shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. "I don't think so. My hackles are up, guys. We know Denis is a werewolf… what if he's hurt them?"

Pacifica sighed, and made a sharp right turn. "Just to stop you freaking out, we'll go by the high school."

Mabel leaned over the center console and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "Thanks, Paz."

A few minutes later, Pacifica pulled her car up the front drive of Gravity Falls High School. "There," she said, peering at the dark building through the windshield. "All the faculty cars are gone, and they wouldn't still be in detention without a teacher. They probably just walked home and forgot to turn their phones back on."

Lexie shook her head. "No, something's not right." She unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, lifted her face into the evening breeze, and inhaled deeply. "The school smells wrong." She got out of the car and began walking up the steps toward the front doors, the rest of the girls on her heels.

"What do you mean, 'smells wrong'?" Wendy asked, a little too loudly. She forced herself to take a deep breath.

Lexie bit her lip as she approached the door. She angled her head toward Wendy, who saw that Lexie's eyes had begun emitting a soft, yellow glow.

"I can smell all the regular outdoor smells, and you guys, and exhaust fumes," began Lexie.

"Wait, you _smell_ us?" interrupted Pacifica, sounding mildly disgusted.

Lexie shot her a look, and continued her thought. "But I can't smell any of the normal school smells. It's like—if I couldn't _see_ the school, I wouldn't know it was here. But I do smell something new… I can't identify it. It smells antiseptic and metallic."

She turned and pulled on the door handles, but they didn't budge. At this point, she didn't expect them to.

"Oh, no," Aurora murmured. She came to stand next to Lexie, and held her palm flat against the glass door.

"Okay, you guys are really freaking me out," Mabel breathed. "Oh, no _what_?"

Aurora turned around, and blinked at them. Her pupils reverted from her dragon-eyed slits to their circular, human-eye shape. "I could only see it with my true vision, as my human eyes are limited in their capabilities. It's... magic?" She didn't sound sure. "Unfamiliar magic. A barrier, by the look of it. And it is blanketing the whole building."

"Wh—what...the hell?!" Pacifica suddenly cried, pointing past Aurora and Lexie, through the glass doors behind them. Everyone turned to look, and gasped nearly in unison.

A beaten, bloody, and quite naked bipedal werewolf staggered toward the doors, holding onto a heavily bleeding gash in his side. His face, that of a black wolf, slowly transformed, until it became a wolf/Denis hybrid, with a nearly human mouth. He appeared to be calling to them through the glass, but the barrier apparently kept even _sound_ from escaping the school.

"Oh gods, something _tore_ him _up_ ," Lexie murmured. She had locked eyes with Denis and couldn't look away.

Denis was frantically shouting now, his eyes wild. He seemed to hear a noise, because he jerked his head around to search the shadowed hall behind him. He apparently didn't see anything, so he turned back to the door. He stood in front of Lexie and stared directly at her, mouthing something slowly.

Lexie shook her head. "I can't hear you!" She doubted he could hear her, either.

Denis held his palm to the glass, then broke eye contact, and leaned his forehead against the door. His shoulders sagged, like he let out a heavy sigh.

There was a flash of movement behind him, and before the girls could register what it was, an enormous hand clamped down on the back of Denis's neck. A hulking, man-like monster, with what looked like a hockey mask melted into the flesh of his face, wielding a machete with his other fist, paused behind Denis for a split second and seemed to peer down at the girls.

Denis struggled to pull away, but the creature yanked hard, and dragged the naked, half-transformed werewolf away from the doors, and back into the darkness.

The girls stood at the top of the steps, staring at the spot Denis had disappeared in shocked silence. Mabel was the first to speak.

"Oh, no," she murmured faintly. "I think my visions are back." Her knees buckled and her head slumped down to her chest. She would have fallen backward down the stairs if Wendy and Pacifica hadn't grabbed her arms quickly enough. Pacifica sat on the steps, and Wendy and Aurora eased Mabel down, so that she was leaning limply against her girlfriend's side.

"Fucking hell," Lexie said from behind them. She was still at the top of the steps, pacing, her hands clasped together and twisting anxiously. "Gideon and Dipper are _in there_ with that thing! And they're both having trouble with their powers. And it was able to incapacitate a fucking werewolf. What—what if they're—" Her throat closed around the words. She pressed her fist against her mouth and shook her head, then walked down the steps and sat on Pacifica's other side.

Wendy bit her lip and looked at Aurora. "Why didn't you know they were in trouble? With your mind link to him, you know if Dip so much as stubs his toe!"

Aurora shook her head and took Wendy's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I think the barrier around the school is interfering with my ability to read Dipper's thoughts and feelings."

Wendy took a shaky breath, her already pale skin becoming an unhealthy shade of white. "So he might be—"

Aurora cut her off. "He's not. I may not know what Dipper is thinking or feeling at this exact moment, but the bond is still intact. He lives."

Wendy blew out a breath of relief.

"Too bad you don't know the same about Gideon," Lexie mumbled into her hands.

"Guys, she's coming to," Pacifica uttered suddenly.

Mabel groaned and slowly lifted her head from Pacifica's shoulder.

Lexie leaned around Pacifica impatiently. "So?!" she directed at Mabel.

Mabel blinked at her, disoriented. "So what?"

Lexie shot to her feet. "So is Gideon still alive?" she shouted.

Mabel winced and leaned away from the possibility of Lexie's wrath. "It wasn't that kind of vision. I'm sorry, Lex. It was just about that… ghost...monster…thing."

Lexie let out a strangled growl and ran back to the top of the steps, where she grabbed the door handles in a futile effort to pull them open.

"What about it?" asked Wendy. She stood a few steps down, and looked up at Mabel, her arms crossed over her chest.

"How it came to be, how it's nearly invulnerable—and, most importantly—the only way to stop it," Mabel said quickly. "I have to get in there. Dipper and Gideon don't know there's only one way to stop it." She pushed herself up from the stairs and trotted down to where Pacifica's car was parked. "Paz, open the trunk!" she called.

"Wh—no!" Pacifica cried, knowing what Mabel had stashed in her trunk "in case of emergencies."

"Yes, Paz. I think I know how I can get inside. And I have to try. My bro-bro's in there."

"Look, we saw what that creature is capable of," said Aurora. "We are no match for it. We need help. We need Jessica."

"She won't have her phone on her," Wendy said, as she glanced down at the clock on her cell phone. "This is the time of the evening she always goes jogging. She doesn't take it with her." As an afterthought, she added, "I don't know how you think you're going to get in, Mabes, but if you're going, I'm coming with."

"Me too," said Lexie, from the top of the stairs. Her eyes were glowing yellow, and her features were beginning to look more sharp and wolf-like.

"Pacifica, you and Aurora can go drive around to find Wendy's mom, but in the mean time, I have to try and save my bro and his witchy best friend," Mabel said softly. "Please, open the trunk."

Pacifica sighed and pressed the button on her key fob. The trunk popped open with a soft click.

Mabel leaned into the trunk and rummaged past the bags of dresses, pulling out a large black duffel bag. She unzipped it, and pulled out one of Wendy's old hatchets, and her trusty grappling hook.

"Is that, like, a bug-out bag?" Wendy asked, taking the proffered hatchet from Mabel's grasp.

Mabel nodded. "I have something for everyone in it, including a change of clothes for Lexie, in case she has to fully wolf out."

"That's awesome, and I'm sure I'll appreciate later if I wind up naked, but right now, can we hurry?" asked Lexie, tapping her foot impatiently.

Mabel nodded. She pulled Pacifica in for a quick kiss. "You and 'Rora go now. Hurry and find Jessica. If my plan fails, we'll definitely need her help."

Pacifica nodded wordlessly, as she tried not to cry. Aurora bid a quick good-luck to the other three, then got in the passenger seat of Pacifica's already running car. As soon as the door was closed, Pacifica peeled off with a screech of tires.

"So, the grappling hook?" Lexie questioned, as Wendy and Mabel joined her once again at the top of the steps.

Mabel looked up toward the roof with a small smile. "I hope neither of you is afraid of heights."

/

The school felt different in the dark—foreboding. Sinister, even. Dipper took a shuddering breath as he peered around the corner to see if the hallway was clear. The dim glow of the emergency lighting was barely enough to see by, but the hall did appear empty. He rounded the corner, clenching and unclenching his right fist, trying to summon enough rift energy to be able to conjure his rift-fire sword. It was useless. Dipper wiped his watering eyes with the back of his hand. He felt like a failure.

When Denis had collided with him in wolf-form earlier, they had quickly untangled their limbs, and darted inside the guidance office, slamming the door behind them. Dipper had leaned with his back against the door, pushing against it as hard as he could as the monster tried to force it open.

Wolf-Denis whimpered and licked at a deep gash in his side, from which blood was flowing freely.

"Oh, gods," Dipper whispered. Thanks to Lexie, he knew that werewolves were incredibly fast healers, but his wound looked awful.

The pounding on the door grew more intense, and Dipper could hear the wooden frame beginning to splinter.

"I can't keep him out much longer," Dipper said quietly.

Denis glanced up from his wound, and nodded.

"When he busts in, I'll try to distract him long enough for you to get away," Dipper continued.

Denis cocked his head to the side, a silent question.

"Because you're hurt, dumbass," Dipper spat. "You better not make me regret helping you."

Denis stared at Dipper, his glowing yellow eyes intense and unblinking, his head still cocked to the side.

Dipper opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, there was a terrible rending sound, and he was thrown to the ground, the heavy door falling forward from the broken frame, and landing on his back.

Dipper had tried to get up, but the monster had stepped on the door as it ducked into the room, squeezing the breath from Dipper's lungs, and possibly cracking a few of his ribs in the process. Dipper had heard Denis snarl, and felt a light breeze as the wolf darted around the door, and rushed into the hallway, running full-tilt. Dipper could barely move, because the monster still had had one foot on top of the door. He managed to reach out and grasp its ankle, hoping to distract him, as he had told Denis he would. It didn't work. The monster shook Dipper's hand off, and the pressure on the door had suddenly let up, as the monster's heavy footsteps thudded down the fall in the direction Denis had run.

That had only happened twenty minutes ago. Five minutes ago, Dipper heard Denis screaming from the direction of the front doors. He hadn't been screaming in pain—at first. It sounded like he was trying to communicate with someone on the other side of the doors, but Dipper couldn't make out what he was saying. _Then_ came the screams of pain, and the sounds of a struggle. Then, silence.

Now, Dipper neared the front doors, hoping that whoever Denis had been shouting at was still out there. He slipped and nearly lost his footing. When he looked down he realized he'd slipped because he was walking through a smeared trail of dark red blood. He swallowed back a wave of nausea. He wasn't sure anyone could survive losing as much blood as Denis had. The nausea almost overwhelmed him when he remembered that the creature who'd done this to Denis had dragged Gideon off somewhere.

When he reached the front doors, Dipper was disappointed to find that there was nobody there. The only evidence that Denis had been frantically trying to talk to someone through the door was a bloody hand print on the glass.

Dipper sighed. Help wasn't coming. Nobody knew the boys were still locked in the school. The girls had gone dress shopping, and were probably still at the mall. He had no choice. Powers or not, he was going to have to seek the monster out. He had to know if Gideon was even still alive. He turned his back to the doors, and began to follow the trail of blood Denis had left when the monster dragged him off.

/

Once Mabel had used her grappling hook to get herself, Wendy, and Lexie onto the flat school roof safely, she made her way over to the roof-access door, her fingers crossed. The others followed closely on her heels.

"Holy fuck, the door is open," whispered Lexie.

It was, indeed, slightly ajar. Mabel reached forward tentatively.

"I know some people who vape, and they talk about coming up here to skip class sometimes," she said, her hand gripping the doorknob. "They said they leave the door cracked so they don't have to pick the lock every time. I'm just counting on the barrier not keeping us out here because the door wasn't already shut."

"Dude, enough with the suspense," said Wendy, gripping her hatchet with white knuckles. "Dipper and Gideon are in there with a monster."

Mabel pulled, and the door creaked open, revealing a dark stairwell. Slowly, as if expecting resistance, she crossed the threshold. There was none. She was in.

Lexie leapt forward and threw her arms around Mabel's neck, in an uncharacteristic show of affection. "You beautiful genius," she said, as she squeezed the surprised brunette.

"We can hug later, when the guys are safe," said Wendy brusquely, as she strode past the other two and down the stairs. "You said your vision showed you how we can kill this son of a bitch. Explain."

"No, I didn't. I said it showed us how to _stop_ it. The mask is the key," said Mabel, as she led the way down the darkened stairwell. "Whatever that thing is now, it _used_ to be a person—a camp counselor. The mask is cursed. It fills the wearer with incredible rage and gives them animalistic strength. My vision wasn't clear as to whether or not it was cursed before or after the counselor wearing it snapped and started murdering campers… but the counselor was trapped in a fire, and the mask melted into his flesh. He's dead under there, but the mask won't let him go—he's trapped as a monster, and cannot rest."

Lexie frowned. "So what you're saying is… we're _not_ going to kill it?" She sounded disappointed.

"It's already dead," said Mabel, as she stopped on the second floor landing. "We have to get the mask off it, so that the camp counselor's soul can rest." She put her hand on the exit into the second floor hallway. "Think we should look up here, or keep going down?"

Lexie sniffed the air. "Down."

They began to descend the staircase to the first floor of the school. "Not only are we not going to kill it," Wendy said thoughtfully, "it sounds like we're going to be doing something _nice_ for it. I'm not really a fan of that, Mabes."

Mabel shrugged. "It's what will stop it. Okay, quiet now. I'm gonna open the door slowly and peek out to make sure it's all clear."

Slowly, she pushed the door open, wincing as the hinges creaked. She stuck her head out and looked up and down the hall, then waved the other two forward.

"Lexie, you said earlier that you could smell us, even though you're in human form," whispered Wendy. "Now that we're on the other side of the barrier, can you smell Dipper or Gideon?"

"I can try," Lexie murmured back. She took a deep breath through her nose, and then quickly let it out through her mouth, with a whimper. She shook her head, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "All I can smell is blood. Blood and death."

Mabel squeezed Lexie's hand. "Could you tell which direction the smell was coming from the strongest? Because that's probably the direction we need to go."

Lexie sniffled and nodded. "This way."

/

The blood trail that Dipper was following became lighter and lighter. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either Denis's wound had stopped bleeding because it clotted, or it stopped bleeding because there was no blood left. Dipper swallowed hard. He wasn't a fan of Denis by any means, but he didn't wish death on the guy.

Dipper was concentrating on the floor, trying to keep track of the blood trail. He was so focused that he didn't realize he wasn't alone—until he heard a strangled cry, and was tackled so hard that he and his assailant slammed into the wall. A sheet of long red hair swirled around him.

"Wen-Wendy?" he asked, incredulous.

Her response was a muffled sob. She squeezed him tightly, pressing her face into his neck.

"Ow—Wen—ribs," he panted.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked, loosening her grip and stepping back from him.

Dipper shook his head, and held a hand against the side of his chest. "It's okay," he said. "How the hell did you get in here?!"

Wendy smiled and jerked her head back to indicate he should look behind her. He did, and was greeted by the sight of Mabel standing in a proud pose, one hand on her hip, the other holding up her grappling gun.

"Grappling hook!" she said, grinning.

Dipper noticed Lexie standing off to the side, and slightly behind his sister. Her shoulders were slumped, and her eyes looked hollow. She tried to force a smile, as she held up her hand in greeting.

"Hey Dip," she murmured. "Glad you're okay." She wiped her watering eyes with the back of her hand. "So, um, where is Gideon?" She tried to sound casual, but her voice shook.

Dipper felt like she had punched him in the gut. He rubbed the back of his neck. "He—he got knocked out by—well, there's a monster in here with us—"

"We know," Mabel said, cutting him off. "We saw it when it dragged Denis away from the front doors."

"Oh," said Dipper. "I guess that saves me an explanation." He swallowed and looked Lexie in the eye. Her lower lip was trembling. He'd never seen her this vulnerable before. "The monster knocked Gideon out and dragged him away somewhere. I wanted to fight to get him back, I really did," he said quickly, his voice cracking. "But my magic is useless right now, so I decided to try and go for help. Which is when I discovered we'd been sealed in the school."

Lexie nodded. "I don't blame you, Dipper," she said, her voice toneless. "The monster is nearby. I followed the smell of blood and death this far." She turned away from him and began walking down the hall.

Wendy took Dipper's hand, and they and Mabel followed after Lexie. It was less than a minute before she stopped in front of a door that was standing slightly open, revealing a set of stairs that led down.

"The basement," Dipper said. He was about to ask how the girls wanted to approach the fight when a strangled cry made its way up from the gloom below. Even in pain, there was no doubt who it was.

"Gideon!" screamed Lexie. She launched herself down the steps without a second thought, transforming into her full wolf form in one fluid motion. Her clothes landed on the steps in tatters, to be trampled on as her three friends quickly followed in her wake.

The basement was dark and cavernous, illuminated only by an eerie orange glow from the enormous boiler that sat in the center of the room. The reason Gideon had cried out became obvious when they saw what the monster had done to him.

Gideon was strung up from the ceiling by ropes tied around his wrists, and it appeared his shoulders were dislocated. His head hung limply to the side, his long white hair matted with blood, and obscuring his face. He was shirtless, and a set of shallow, yet bloody, concentric circles had been carved into his torso. The center circle didn't appear to have been carved, however, but burned in. A fresh, hot pink, blistered burn marked the center of his chest.

The monster had turned Gideon into a human bullseye.

"Oh, gods," cried Mabel, bringing a hand to her mouth. She, Wendy, and Dipper ran forward, to try and untie Gideon. The ropes were up too high for any of them to reach.

"Do you guys see a step ladder or chair or something anywhere?" Dipper asked, as he grabbed Gideon's legs at the knees and lifted him slightly, to try and take some of the pressure off his dislocated shoulder joints. Gideon groaned and whimpered, still unconscious.

Lexie frantically pawed at Gideon's feet and whined, feeling useless. Then her nose twitched, her ears and tail shot up, and she whirled around, snarling.

She smelled it before she heard it, and heard it before she saw it. The smell of decay wafted from it as it trudged toward them in the darkness, dragging something metallic behind it. It's eyesight mustn't have been good, because it didn't seem to see that Gideon had visitors until it was nearly upon them.

Finally realizing it had company, the monster threw its head back and let loose a guttural roar. Lexie tensed, prepared to dodge a blow, but instead of striking at her, it lifted the metallic object it had been dragging, and reached over its shoulder to grab something that was attached to its back via a leather strap.

Everything happened in an instant. Lexie didn't have time to register the bow and arrow aimed at her until she heard the twang of the string.

Suddenly, something solid rammed into her side, knocking her out of the way. The black wolf yelped in pain as the arrow lodged deep in the muscle of his shoulder.

Lexie lay, stunned, on the concrete floor for a moment, as the monster lumbered toward her friends. She blinked and saw it reach for another arrow.

She struggled to her feet, desperate to bring it down before it could shoot any of them.

It readied the arrow.

Lexie launched herself at it.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

It let loose the arrow.

There was a scream and a blinding flash of silver light.

Lexie connected with the monster. The force of her leap brought it tumbling to the ground, where it struggled to unpin itself from the wolf on its chest.

"Hold its arms down!" screamed Mabel. Lexie's eyes darted to either side of her, and she realized that Dipper and Wendy were with her, forcing the monster to stay down. None of them appeared to have been hit by the arrow. Did it hit Gideon, then?!

Mabel knelt down next to the roaring, kicking monster's head, and gripped the base of the mask, where the plastic was nearly fused with its flesh. She pulled it back, and it peeled away from the decayed flesh of the monster's face with a sickening squelching sound.

"Sleep now," Mabel said softly, as the mask came off in her hands.

The monster stopped fighting. It blinked at her, took one rattling breath, and for a moment they all saw the young man it had been before he became the monster. He smiled, and his body turned to ash, crumbling into nothingness.

Lexie whirled around. She didn't care about setting the monster's soul free. She cared about what it had done to Gideon. She expected to see him, still hanging limply, with an arrow protruding from the bullseye on his chest.

What she actually saw was so unexpected that it shocked her into instantly returning to her human form. Still on all fours, she crawled up to Gideon.

He was sitting on the concrete floor, rubbing his chafed wrists, and stretching his back to loosen his shoulders. Which were no longer dislocated. And the bullseye on his torso, while still there, appeared as pink, healed-over scar tissue.

Gideon blinked at Lexie, his eyes darting to her nakedness quickly, then back to her face. The corners of his lips twitched upward.

"Hey, sug—"

Lexie threw herself at him, cutting him off mid-word. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, her naked breasts pressed firmly against his scarred, bare chest.

"I thought I lost you," she breathed in his ear. She clung to him tightly, her nails digging into the skin of his back as she gripped him with white knuckles.

"Uh, sugar?" he said low enough that only Lexie could hear him. "While I am really, _really_ enjoying," he paused and looked down, then back up, "...this. Uh, maybe we can recreate this situation later...in my bedroom...where our friends… and Denis... won't be."

Lexie sighed. She glanced back over her shoulder at her friends, (who were all awkwardly looking anywhere at but her), and Denis, still in the form of a black wolf, an arrow protruding from his shoulder (who was looking at nothing _but_ her, with glowing amber eyes).

"Can someone find me something to cover up with?" she asked. "Seeing as my bug out clothes are doing me abso-fucking-lutely no good still in the trunk of Pacifica's car?"

"I think there are some extra gym uniforms in the girl's locker room upstairs," said Mabel. "You wanna help me look, Wendy, Dipper?"

"Yes, please," mumbled Dipper, his face beet red. "This is really awkward."

The three trotted up the stairs, leaving Lexie and Gideon alone with Denis.

"Speaking of awkward," Gideon drawled, staring straight at the black wolf.

Lexie still sat on Gideon's lap, with her arms and legs wrapped around him. Instead of just looking back over her shoulder at the werewolf, she shifted on Gideon's lap until she could turn the upper half of her body toward the Denis. As she moved against him, a soft groan escaped Gideon's lips.

"Sugar..." he said low, his voice husky.

Lexie smiled pleasantly at wolf-Denis. "I appreciate you taking the arrow for me, bro," she said casually. "You probably should go get that looked at."

Denis growled and began to shift, but instead of stopping at hybrid this time, he became fully human again. And of course, fully naked. The huge gash in his side was still there, although it looked less deep than before, and was scabbing over at the edges. He looked down at the arrow in his shoulder, and winced as he yanked it out. The wound left behind slowly dribbled blood down the front of his shoulder and onto his pecs.

He shot Lexie a cocky smile, his eyes flashing amber. "Well I couldn't very well let you die, could I? You're a perfect specimen of an alpha bitch."

"Why don't you go on home now and lick your wounds, Denis?" said Gideon, his voice hard.

Lexie fluttered her eyelashes at the werewolf, a smirk on her lips. "Since you clearly don't have anyone to lick them for you."

"Yet," Denis said, his amber eyes lingering on the curve of Lexie's ass. He gave the couple a mock salute, and began up the stairs. He paused, mid-step, and then turned to wink at Lexie. "I'm sure I'll be seeing a _lot_ more of you around."

Gideon stared after Denis, his eyes narrowed in disgust. He felt a tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with his brand new bullseye scars. His heart pounded against his ribs, like an animal trying to escape its cage. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Hey, Gid," murmured Lexie, trailing a finger along his jaw line. "We're alone, now."

That snapped Gideon out of his sudden rage. "Hell, yeah, we are," he growled. He leaned his head down to place hot kisses up and down Lexie's neck and collarbone. She squirmed and gripped his back so tightly that her nails began to dig in.

Suddenly, three pairs of feet were tramping loudly down the stairs.

"We found you some gym clothes, Lexie!"

Gideon threw his head back and sighed. "Just—fuck everything about this day."

/

The five teens exited the school, completely unsurprised that the barrier was no longer in place to keep the doors sealed. From a second floor window, Faust watched them with rheumy eyes as they greeted their friends, and his colleague, Jessica Corduroy, whose vehicle had pulled up just as the five left the building.

His experiment had not gone as planned. He was unsure how the three girls got into the school, but they had ruined everything. Clearly, teamwork was this group's strong suit.

Still, all was not lost. The old man hobbled down to the basement, tablet in hand, thankful, at least, that in the chaotic aftermath of their fight with the monster, the teens had forgotten about the cursed mask, leaving it discarded on the boiler room floor.

He grunted as he bent down to pick it up, and quickly catalogued it in his proprietary tablet software. The monster with the cursed mask may not have been able to take down the meddling group of teens, but—he smiled to himself—there was still the puzzle box.

/

When the group arrived back at the Pines' house Jessica wouldn't let any of them leave or go to bed until she was able to debrief them, and check for injuries. She was stunned to see the bullseye scars on Gideon's chest—partly because of the brutality of the injuries, but mostly because they had healed so quickly.

"Were you able to use a healing spell on yourself?" asked Jessica. "Is your magic back?"

Gideon shook his head and leaned back into the love seat, his hand casually placed on Lexie's thigh. "Don't reckon so," he drawled. "I was unconscious for most everything down there. Then suddenly I'm sat down on the floor, my wounds are mostly healed, and Lexie throws herself at me."

Lexie looked down at her hands, her cheeks pink. "It was silver," she said suddenly.

"What?" Jessica asked, confused.

"There was a bright silver flash right as the monster let loose his arrow."

Wendy nodded. "Shit, you're right!" She elbowed Dipper, grinning. "You got your mojo back!"

Dipper scratched the back of his head. "I don't know if I did, though. When the silver flash happened, I felt… _something…_ but I didn't do anything on purpose."

"What happened to the arrow?" asked Aurora. "Lexie said the flash happened right as the monster shot it—but no one was hit."

Mabel screwed her mouth up thoughtfully. "I think it just disintegrated?"

"Okay, so the arrow disintegrated at the exact time that Gideon was somehow miraculously healed," said Pacifica. "Coincidence?"

Jessica shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Dipper, it sounds like you may have unwittingly cast some kind of healing force-field with the rift."

"Defensive magic?" Dipper sounded slightly disappointed. "Does this mean I won't ever be able to _attack_ with rift energy again?"

Jessica shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. But I'll look through some of Oliver's books and try to figure it out."

"Now Lexie," she continued. "What do you know about this new werewolf boy? He sounds like trouble."

/

Across town, the leaves on the trees in the cemetery quivered and shook, but there was no breeze moving the branches. If anyone living had been passing time in the graveyard, they would have felt their ears pop when the air pressure shifted.

But there was no one alive to notice when the three figures appeared to step out of nothingness—two females, and one male.

The blonde female wore a leather jacket that was a bit too big, but she hugged it closely to herself as she knelt in front of Oliver Corduroy's grave. She traced his name with a finger. Her friends stood just behind her, looking over her shoulders like silent sentinels.

"Pike, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here when..." She trailed off and sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't help when you needed me most. After everything you've done… it shouldn't have ended this way for you. You helped me when I—" her voice broke, and she took a shuddering breath. "Anyway, it's time I returned the favor."

She stood up and turned to her companions, squaring her shoulders. She inclined her head at the male, who had a wiry build, and intense eyes. "Oz, go find your cousin, and let she and her friends know we're here."

Oz nodded, and strolled from the cemetery at a leisurely pace.

She turned to her female companion, a petite redhead with a deceptively innocent demeanor. "Okay, Willow, let's get to work."

/

Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 29: Tainted Love

/

Super sorry that updates are really sporadic, but I really appreciate everyone that has stayed with it and all who've recently come aboard. Always appreciate reviews and more than happy to answer questions by P.M. Hope everyone enjoyed the newest chapter. Ill be back hopefully soon.

Peace


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